NEWS FROM FUSION POWER ASSOCIATES 2 PROFESSIONAL DRIVE, SUITE 248 GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND 20780 (301) 258-0545 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 25, 1986 CONTACT: Dr. Stephen 0. Dean HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDS ADDING $25 MILLION On June 19 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives endorsed an increase of $25 million above the President's FY 1987 budget request for magnetic fusion research. In so doing, the full committee accepted the recommendation of its Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, chaired by Rep. Tom Bevill of Alabama. Fusion Power Associates president Dr. Stephen 0. Dean called the action "a clear signal that the U.S. Congress considers fusion research to be an essential national priority to benefit future generations of our citizens." In a report accompanying its action, the House Committee stated: "The Committee, in last year's report, indicated its support of the strategy adopted in the DOE Magnetic Fusion Program Plan to achieve its goal of the establishment of the scientific and technological data base required for the ultimate exploitation of fusion energy. Such a strategy requires a well-integrated effort with relatively stable funding levels and continuity of departmental support. "The Committee also recognizes the record of innovative contributions to the national magnetic fusion program from the University research programs, as well as the importance of these graduate programs as a source of highly qualified, technologically oriented scientists. As DOE seeks to maintain a proper balance in its support of major program elements, cognizance must be taken of the special needs of these institutions, especially with respect to their role in the exploration of new ideas and of generic problems, and to their commitment to the education and training of graduate students." The Committee further stated: "Because of this Committee's concern and belief in the need to maintain a viable magnetic fusion research program, not only for its own value but because of the very important physics research and training that takes place as a result of the fusion program, the recommendation provides for an increase of $25,000,000 above the request to restore a portion of the reductions. These funds are to be used to maintain mirror fusion research as a working alternative so as not to eliminate the primary competitor to Tokamak concepts. In addition, funds are added to maintain the schedule to achieve breakeven at TFTR in the 1988-1990 timeframe. In view of the restoration of funds for the mirror fusion program, the Committee expects that operating support for the Doublet III device be restored to 1986 levels in order to meet international commitments, and to allow neutral beam and RF heating experiments to carry on as previously agreed to with the Japanese, and for the TARA device to provide data support for the MFTF-B. Finally, additional funds may be made available to university research initiatives to assist in maintaining a viable fusion program." Commenting on international collaboration, the Committee commented: "Among the proposals endorsed by the international community is the development of an experiment which would provide, at modest cost, the opportunity for detailed investigation of an ignited Tokamak plasma under equilibrium-burn conditions. A preliminary study of such a device, to be constructed in the United States for operation in the early 1990's is now under development and review within the Department of Energy. This experiment would strengthen the United States' position as it continues to negotiate a possible international collaboration program on the larger fusion engineering test facility and would maintain the momentum of the domestic program." Finally, the Committee report said: "It appears that the initiative begun during Summit discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union may result in a concrete international fusion project that would result in funding requirements not identified in any budget submission currently before the Congress. Any funding proposed to be obligated on such an initiative, or studies or other activities related to it, shall be presented to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees under the normal reprogramming procedures and identified separately in subsequent budget submissions." FUSION POWER ASSOCIATES BOARD OF DIRECTORS POLICY STATEMENT 1986 The Board of Directors of Fusion Power Associates, on behalf of the association, urges that fusion power development be based upon the following: RECOMMENDED POLICIES Research and development toward an economically-competitive fusion power system should receive high national and international priority. Engineering sciences, technology development, systems analyses and plasma sciences should all be considered essential elements in a balanced fusion effort. • Timely commitments to necessary new and improved experimental facilities are needed to ensure continued program momentum and progress into the 1990's. The above recommended policies are based upon the following: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Fusion research, world-wide, continues to make outstanding progress. • Concept improvements are emerging at a rapid rate, giving increasing confidence that an economically-competitive fusion power plant can be developed. Innovative ideas that reduce costs or accelerate knowledge should be expeditiously pursued in all aspects of the fusion program. • It would be premature, at this stage, to judge which of the variety of magnetic and inertial fusion concepts will ultimately succeed commercially. This fact should not discourage use of the best available concepts in the design and construction of needed fusion test facilities. • The fusion programs in the U.S., U.S.S.R., Europe and Japan have comparable accomplishments, facilities and momentum. The present rate of progress in the world program is based on capital investment commitments made in the 1970's. Progress will predictably diminish unless next step facilities are developed in a timely manner. International cooperative agreements have been a substantial factor in fusion progress and should be encouraged. Such agreements, however, are not an effective substitute for focused national efforts, needed national experimental facilities and subsequent engineering test devices. • Governments should encourage and promote the full participation of industry in the planning. research and development as well as in engineering and operating aspects of fusion programs. If industry participates in the government - funded R & D programs now, industry will be better prepared to assess the commercial potential of fusion power in the future. Governments should foster innovation and optimize utilization of resources by encouraging and strengthening interrelationships among industry, laboratories and universities. Fusion-related programs in universities should be selectively strengthened and encouraged to ensure an adequate supply of engineers and physicists with knowledge in this field. The governments of the world have made a sustained investment in fusion research. The time has come to begin to capitalize on this investment by placing increased emphasis during the next decade on the engineering and systems design aspects of practical fusion energy systems. Senator EVANS. We will turn now to Dr. Dworkin. STATEMENT OF DR. HOWARD J. DWORKIN, CHIEF, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE, WILLIAM BEAUMONT HOSPITAL, ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NUCLEAR PHYSICIANS AND THE SOCIETY OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE, ACCOMPANIED BY DR. WILLIAM ASHBURN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MEDICAL CENTER, DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE; DR. ALFRED P. WOLF, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY; AND ROBERT WILBUR, DIRECTOR OF THE CONJOINT WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE SOCIETY AND THE COLLEGE Dr. DWORKIN. Thank you, Senator. Mr. Chairman, I am Howard Dworkin, M.D., head of the Nuclear Medicine Department, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI, and president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. With me today are William Ashburn, M.D., Department of Nuclear Medicine of the University of California Medical Center in San Diego; Alfred P. Wolf, Ph.D., Brookhaven National Laboratories, and Robert Wilbur, director of the conjoint Washington Office of the Society and the College. I am here representing the society and the American College of Nuclear Physicians, of which I am a past president. Together these two organizations represent the nuclear medicine community of our country. Nuclear medicine, one of the most beneficial applications of the peaceful use of nuclear energy, has been expanding with astonishing rapidity in the last 20 years. The diagnostic and therapeutic modalities now offered by nuclear medicine departments are transforming the detection and treatment of cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders, and offer new promise of diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric states. Much of this development in the medical application of nuclear energy has been the direct result of research supported by the Department of Energy. These two charts show the nuclear technologies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer and heart disease now in clinical practice. Few of these clinical options existed 20 years ago. These technologies moved already from the research laboratory into daily clinical practice in the hospitals of our country. Many of these technologies not only give us better information and treatment, but replace more expensive invasive procedures. This would not have happened without the DOE research programs in nuclear medicine. DOE representatives have already cited the areas of research which the Department intends to emphasize in the coming year. Essentially, we support this selection of priorities. In the forefront of research now in the laboratories and beginning to move into clinical practice is the use of positron emission tomography to make more useful images of the heart, of the brain, and of several types of tumors than we have ever achieved before. Better evaluation of patients in preparation for and following the surgical or pecutaneous treatment of CAD is already possible. Diagnosis of neuropsychiatric states, including epilepsy, the effects of |