FEDERAL FUNDING OF FUSION RESEARCH Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development June 23,1986 Many MR. CHAIRMAN, decisions on fiscal year (FY) 1987 funding for energy research and development will greatly impact the direction of our energy supply for the coming decades. studies have indicated the difficulties associated with traditional sources of power. Acid rain continues to threaten our forests, carbon dioxide generation raises the specter of a global warming of the atmosphere, and the recent disaster in Chernobyl has highlighted problems with conventional nuclear power plants. We must maintain a funding level of at least the FY86 post-sequester appropriation for a potentially safe, environmentally acceptable energy source: the Department of Energy's Magnetic Fusion Program. The United States is the leader of the world's fusion research program. However, the budget cuts of the last few years have caused many important initiatives to be delayed. Most importantly, the deuterium-tritium "breakeven" experiment on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has been postponed to In addition, the President's FY87 budget calls for closing the TWX-U device at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and the Princeton Large Torus, as well as phasing out several smaller mirror and tokamak experiments. The President's cuts would also make it difficult for the US to lead a proposed multinational collaboration project. The success of this project, which includes the construction in the US of a Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT), depends on the TFTR providing comprehensive "check point" data. By maintaining the FY86 appropriation as a minimum level for the Magnetic Fusion Program, Congress can help fusion scientists meet their long-term goals and development schedule. I believe that losing the opportunity to move forward with the program would adversely impact our energy security and our quest for safer, cleaner forms of power. MR CHAIRMAN, I wish to ask the witness two questions: understand the CIT is being reviewed this summer. How does this device fit into the program for international collaboration? Could you also elaborate on your current goals and objectives for the fusion program generally? I DOE SPONSORED RADON RESEARCH Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development Statement by Senator Bill Bradley June 23, 1986 MR. CHAIRMAN, the possibility of widespread human exposure to radon gas was slow to dawn on the U.S. public. It is now, however, a focus of attention because of reports of extremely high levels of the gas in many homes. Radon is a problem because its radioactive decay products are short-lived nuclides that can become deposited in the lungs and lead to lung cancer. The problem arose first among underground uranium miners who were found to be exposed to high levels of radon in the mines. Studies of those miners years later provide the only direct evidence of the impact and risks of radon exposure on people. But in the last few years, what was once considered a problem for those working or living near uranium or phosphate mines has refocused on houses built over geologic formations that emit radon. Scientists have found high concentrations of indoor radon in many parts of the country including the States of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Florida, Maine, and Colorado. But the highest radon levels thus far measured in our country have been found in and near the Reading Prong, a geological formation rich in uranium ores which reaches through sections of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The studies of underground miners throughout the world shows statistically significant increased risk of lung cancer in miners exposed to 80 to 100 working level months (WLM). A working level is the traditional unit for measuring radon exposure. It is so named because one working level used to be the highest radiation exposure allowed in the workplace. Data from U.S. miners who experienced large increases in lung cancer rates showed that their highest exposures were around 8,000 to 10,000 WLM. In some homes in and near the Reading Prong, exposure rates are over several hundred WLM per year. Lifetime exposures at these rates would lead to cumulative exposures considerably higher than the most heavily exposed miners experienced. Concern over indoor radon pollution has prompted both the government and researchers to learn more about radon-particularly about how to retrofit homes to reduce radon exposure. This research is vitally important. However, we still have little understanding of the health fisks of indoor radon exposure. To illustrate the public confusion surrounding radon health risks, consider some views of government agencies and researchers. The Federal Centers for Disease Control says that radon-related lung cancer may be killing as many as 30,000 Americans a year, yet the American Cancer Society is not issuing any official warnings about radon's dangers. There is no consensus on how much radon the public should The little research on residential radon exposure tolerate. is contradictory, with some studies finding ties between indoor radon and lung cancer, and some not. One theory holds that children are more sensitive than adults to radon exposure. Other scientists speculate that children are in less danger because their bodies have more time to repair radiation damage before the onset of lung cancer. The response of Federal and state officials to these uncertainties has been to take the road of caution. They cannot afford to wait for incontrovertible evidence that radon is as lethal as they think it may be. I support this approach. It is a responsible reaction. However, this course of action dictates an aggressive research effort directed at the uncertainties surrounding indoor radon. And an assessment of public health risks must be an important concern of our research efforts. The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Research has been a major sponsor of radon-related research for several decades. Under its auspices, considerable information has been gathered from laboratory animal studies, studies of radon transport and diffusion into and within structures, and |