Capitol Hill Quarterly www.aps.org/public_affairs/chq A PUBLICATION FROM THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY WWW.APS.ORG • JULY 2006 • V O L U M E 1 , N O . 2

US high energy physics at risk, says NAS study

This is an exciting time in several priorities for US particle Harold Shapiro, an economist in place for the future. “When we particle physics, and the physics in the next 15 years. and former President of Princeton looked at the status of high-ener- United States should increase The main recommendations, University, chaired the NRC’s gy physics in the US, we were its investment in the field to in priority order, are: Committee on Elementary sobered,” he said. “We had no maintain leadership, says a • First, support American sci- Particle Physics in the 21st compelling follow-on program.” National Academy of entists working at the Large Century which drafted the report. The report says that the US Sciences report released in Hadron Collider (LHC) in He announced the panel’s recom- should play a leadership role in the April. Geneva, Switzerland. mendations at a press conference worldwide effort to study The report, titled • Second, invest in the neces- April 26 in Washington. Terascale physics, and accelera- Revealing the Hidden sary research and development Not only will, several major tors are an essential component of Nature of Space and Time, in order to make a compelling bid particle physics experiments come this effort. observed that the field of to host the International Linear to an end shortly, the committee The panel recommends spend- particle physics is now at Collider (ILC). noted. Fermilab, the flagship of ing $300 to $500 million over the a crossroads, as several • Third, expand the program in US particle physics, is scheduled next five years on research and major experiments are particle astrophysics and pursue to shut down around 2010. development for the accelerator scheduled to end soon. an internationally coordinated Shapiro said he had been disap- for the proposed International The report identified pointed to learn that no plan was Linear Collider. The panel also program in neutrino physics. See REPORT on page 2 Physicist pulls some strings on the Hill

Alan Alda (left) talks with Brian Greene and Rep. Judy Biggert (IIl-13th) after the lecture.

n May, Columbia University Congress, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) lars to construct a gigantic facility actually works, Newton declared Greene quipped.) string theorist and author of the and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI). Actor to detect exotic things we can't even that he would leave this question to Most importantly, Einstein laid Ibestselling book, The Elegant Alan Alda, a strong proponent of observe directly. He did so via a the consideration of the reader. out a testable prediction that light Universe, Brian Greene appeared science, was also in attendance. story, namely, Einstein's persistence Albert Einstein took up the chal- would follow the curvature of space- at a special reception on Capitol The timing of Greene’s talk in developing general relativity over lenge. According to Greene, time, and this was borne out in 1919 Hill to talk to Congressional repre- couldn’t have been more fortuitous, the course of 10 long years. Einstein kept asking why, pushing by observations made during an sentatives and their staffers about the coming as it did on the heels of the First published in the mid-17th the envelope further, and in the eclipse. Like Einstein 100 years future of physics research. Audience recently released report of the Century, Isaac Newton’s Principia process, he revolutionized physics. ago, Greene hopes the scientific members included former NSF National Academies’ Committee on is among the most significant Newton believed gravity was a community won’t be content to sit director Neal Lane, Michael Turner, Elementary Particle Physics in the physics treatises ever written. He force, one object exerting a pull on back on its laurels, but will keep ask- the former Assistant Director of the 21st Century, which makes the case mapped out the law of universal another by virtue of their respective ing those fundamental questions to NSF for Mathematical and Physical for funding the next generation of gravity so precisely, that we can masses. Einstein figured out how it push the envelope of scientific Sciences, DOE’s Ray Orbach, particle accelerators. still use his fundamental equations worked: an object’s mass warps the knowledge to the next “final fron- Greene s fellow string theorist Greene provided an excellent today to predict where a ball tossed fabric of spacetime, and this makes tier.” Funding the next-generation Edward Witten, and the only two answer to the inevitable question: in the air will land. But when it us feel the effects of gravity. (“Some collider is one way of ensuring con- physicists currently serving in why spend billions of taxpayer dol- came to explaining how gravity of us feel it more than others,” tinued progress. Nuclear power expert testifies on safety and non-proliferation APS helps boy scouts Global electricity demand is for the production of fissionable “The intent of our report is to explore nuclear science expected to increase by more than material for nuclear weapons. That provide an informative, education- 50 percent by 2025 and nuclear combination of facts led the APS al document to help Congress see With the help of the APS Scouts for a long time. He power is a primary carbon-free Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) to the technical details supporting the Division of Nuclear is an Eagle Scout energy source for meeting that mas- issue a report titled Nuclear Power issue, independent of any political Physics (DNP) Education (though he never sive expansion. But, Iran and North and Proliferation Resistance: agendas,” said Hagengruber, Committee, the Boy earned the Atomic Korea clarify the challenge: tech- Securing Benefits, Limiting Risks. emphasizing that the report is “a Scouts of America has Energy merit badge), nologies used in peaceful nuclear Nuclear energy has long been consensus document,” and there revised its Atomic and now has a son who viewed with suspicion by the gen- were some dissenting voices during Energy merit badge pro- is a Boy Scout. power programs could be diverted eral public because of various health discussions. gram. The new merit He and the DNP Edu- and safety concerns, but over the The consensus that emerged badge, now called “Nuclear cation Committee wrote to On the Back Page last decade, there has been a notice- focused on four main points: Science,” updates the program and the Boy Scouts of America, offer- • Senator Pete V. Domenici able shift in public perception, • Safeguards technologies (see increases the emphasis on science. ing to help revise the handbook, discusses… Meeting our according to Roger Hagengruber sidebar on page 3) are the first line Howard Matis, a nuclear physi- long-term energy needs (University of New Mexico), who of defense against proliferation. cist at Lawrence Berkeley Lab and See SCOUTS on page 2 through Federal chaired the APS report. Nuclear The current international safeguards member of the DNP research and energy is a viable option to car- program run by IAEA largely Education Committee, bon-based energy sources, in light installs technologies that are the noticed that the Atomic development of mounting public concern about result of R&D carried out by the Energy merit badge pro- global warming. Other countries United States 10-20 years ago. The gram needed updating recognize the value of nuclear ener- program in safeguards R&D needs when a local scout troop gy and worldwide, more than thir- to be revitalized. visited his lab. ty new nuclear plants are under Matis has been See NUCLEAR EXPERT on page 3 construction. involved with the Boy 2 • July 2006 APS Capitol Hill Quarterly

APS Members in the Media This Quarter in Physics History

“We were all scientists and therefore “It’s amazing we are so uncertain about July 1977: MRI uses fundamental physics for clinical diagnosis really understood and appreciated the the most abundant substance on Earth. value this would bring to our colleagues I have a feeling that, with water, there in Iraq.” will be more surprises.” n July 3, 1977, the first state to the other. He called his Barrett Ripin (MD-8th), US Anders Nilsson, Stanford University magnetic resonance method molecular beam magnet- Department of State, on the Iraqi Virtual (CA-14th), on the structure of water. Science Library. (May 22, 2006) (March 10, 2006) Oimaging (MRI) exam on ic resonance. a live human patient was per- Rabi and his team modified formed. MRI, which identifies the molecular beam apparatus so the beam was also exposed to a “This is a good example of something “ There are good reasons to think that atoms by how they behave in a which is very counterintuitive that the the [Linear Hadron Collider] will pro- magnetic field, has become an radio frequency signal as it trav- laws of nature permit.” duce major discoveries.” extremely useful non-invasive eled through the magnetic field. -Robert Boyd, University of Rochester Michael Dine, University of California, method for imagining internal Tuning either the external mag- (NY-28th), on a method of making light Santa Cruz (CA-17th). (April 12, 2006) bodily structures and diagnosing netic field or the radio frequen- travel backwards. (May 16, 2006) disease. The life-saving medical cy can produce resonance. They technique has its foundations in observed the first magnetic res- the work of physicist I. I. Rabi, onance absorption in 1938, with “Many students have a fear of science, “They're not just Shiva the Destroyer; who during the 1930s developed beam of lithium chloride mole- but if they come at it from a different they're Brahma the Creator.” a method of measuring magnet- An image of a brain cules. Rabi was enthralled by the angle, they sometimes find out they're Scott Hughes, MIT (MA-8th), on black from a MRI exam interested in the subject and take more ic properties of atomic nuclei. flopping of the magnetic moment, holes, which may influence galaxy ciated magnetic moment of sodi- classes.” Isidor Isaac Rabi was born on and the group held a party to cel- development, according to new um. The nuclear magnetic Michael Dennin, UC Irvine (CA-48th), research. (April 29, 2006) July 29, 1898 in Rymanow, ebrate the achievement. on using comic book heroes to teach Austria. In 1899 his family moment, much smaller than that Each atom or molecule has a physics. (March 25, 2006) moved to New York, where they of the electron, was difficult to characteristic pattern of reso- lived in poverty in the Lower determine precisely. Rabi and nance frequencies. Rabi detect- East Side before moving to Gregory Breit figured out how ed a series of resonances in dif- SCOUTS continued from page 1 Brooklyn in 1907. Rabi’s parents to modify the classic Stern- ferent molecules that could be which was outdated and in some also added some information, includ- were Orthodox Jews, and though Gerlach apparatus to find the used to identify the type of atom cases, simply wrong. It turned out ing a description of a career as a nuclear spin of sodium. that BSA was already in the process nuclear scientist. Rabi never practiced religion as or molecule and give more detail Rabi, who was often viewed of updating the badge. Matis was able The new Nuclear Science hand- an adult, he was always influ- into molecular structure. as lazy, was always impatient to serve as an advisor. book is an 88-page booklet that cov- enced by his religious upbringing. After World War II broke out, with routine experimental tech- The old Atomic Energy badge pro- ers nuclear science at a level acces- He felt that doing good physics Rabi left his molecular beam lab- niques and data analysis. He liked gram focused on engineering, and sible to 14-year olds with little prior was “walking the path of God.” oratory and went on to become did not emphasize the science enough, to say he wanted an answer at knowledge. It includes topics such Rabi graduated from Cornell Associate Director of the MIT said Matis. “We wanted to put science the end of the day, and was driv- as the history of nuclear science, mod- University in 1919 with a degree Radiation Laboratory. He was back into the requirements.” He in chemistry. But he wasn’t real- en to design clever, clean exper- awarded the Nobel Prize in 1944, worked with a writer to help make ern atomic models, particle acceler- ators, radiation and its uses, nuclear ly captivated by chemistry, and imental methods, methods that for his resonance method for sure the science in the new booklet brought him “nearer to God.” was correct and included the most energy, and careers related to nuclear spent three years not doing much recording the magnetic properties modern model of the nucleus. He science. of anything before deciding to Throughout the 1930s, Rabi of atomic nuclei. go to graduate school in physics improved the molecular beam In 1946 Edward Purcell and REPORT continued from page 1 at Cornell. After finishing his method and used it to gather Felix Bloch independently found recommends that the US express its resources will be needed to sustain US PhD in 1927, Rabi went to increasingly accurate values for a way to study the magnetic res- strong intent that the ILC be built in leadership in particle physics. The Europe, where he spent time the nuclear spin of atoms, includ- onance properties of atoms and the US. panel says the budget for particle working with the giants of quan- ing hydrogen and deuterium. The molecules in solids and liquids, Shapiro noted that this is a risky physics needs to increase by at least work culminated in the magnet- strategy, but said that doing nothing 2% to 3% per year in real terms. tum mechanics, including instead of individual atoms or ic resonance method which is the would be even riskier. If nothing is The committee also discussed how Sommerfeld, Bohr, Pauli, Stern, molecules as in Rabi’s molecu- done, US particle physicists will be to avoid the kind of problems that and Heisenberg. basis for magnetic resonance lar beam method. Later, nuclear forced to work abroad, and students led to the cancellation of the Super Rabi was fascinated by quan- imaging. magnetic resonance was further will lose interest in the field, he said. Conducting Collider (SSC) by tum ideas, especially the Magnetic moments tend to developed into the imaging tech- Experiments at the Terascale could Congress in 1993. Shapiro said that Stern–Gerlach experiment. Otto align either parallel or antiparal- nique that is now commonly used provide the answers to some of the the committee believes the ILC is on Stern and Walther Gerlach had lel to an external magnetic field, for medical diagnosis. The first most challenging questions: where a better path because it will be an sent a thin beam of silver atoms and tend to behave somewhat images were produced in the do particle masses come from, are international collaboration from the like tops, precessing about the the forces of nature truly unified; very beginning. through a non-uniform strong early 1970s, and the first live does space and time have extra dimen- The 22-member committee includ- magnetic field, and observed that direction of the magnetic field, human subject was imaged in sions, and what is the dark matter? ed particle physicists, physicists in the beam separated into two dis- with a frequency that depends on 1977. MRI machines became The LHC, scheduled to begin oper- other fields, and non-physicists. This tinct sub-beams, the atoms in the the magnetic field strength and commercially available in the ation in 2007, could discover the unusual composition of the commit- beam having been deflected the atom’s nuclear magnetic 1980s, and are now commonly Higgs boson, a long sought after par- tee meant that the physicists had to slightly according to the direction moment. In 1937 Rabi predicted used for imaging internal body ticle that is central to particle physics work harder to make the case for why of their magnetic moments. that the magnetic moments of structures, especially soft tissues theory, or evidence entirely of new particle physics is important. nuclei in these experiments could physics. The ILC, which will collide Committee member Jonathan Bagger When Rabi returned to the like the brain. be induced to flip their orienta- electrons and positrons, will be able of Johns Hopkins University said that United States in 1929, he took a Shortly before he died in to clarify and provide more details it was clear that American particle teaching position at Columbia tion if they absorbed energy from January of 1988, Rabi was about any discoveries made by the physics is at a crossroads, and it was University. After spending two an electromagnetic wave of the imaged in an MRI machine. “It LHC. “This might be the most excit- important to have people outside of years searching for a problem right frequency. They would also was eerie. I saw myself in that ing moment in particle physics in a physics look at the field. that interested him, in 1931 Rabi emit this amount of energy in machine,” he said. “I never generation” said Shapiro. The report is part of the Physics set up his molecular beam lab falling back to the lower energy thought my work would come to In the short run, the panel found, 2010 project, a series of National and took up the problem of deter- orientation. Rabi would be able Research Council studies that will this.” funds could be reallocated from to detect this transition from one experiments that are ending in the explore opportunities and priorities mining the nuclear spin and asso- next few years. But an increase in for many branches of physics.

APS Physics Capitol Hill Quarterly is published four times yearly by the Washington Office of the American Physical Capitol Hill Quarterly Society (APS). It contains news of the Society and of physics relevant to Capitol Hill, as well as opinions. The APS Headquarters is located at One Physics Ellipse, College Park MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200

July 2006 • Series 1, Vol. 1, No. 2 • © 2006 The American Physical Society

APS Washington, D.C. Office APS COUNCIL 2006 Past-President (Biological), Charles S. Parmenter (Chemical), Moses International Advisors 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20045 President Marvin L. Cohen*, University of California, Berkeley H. Chan (Condensed Matter Physics), Richard M. María Esther Ortiz, Mexican Physical Society, Email: [email protected] Telephone: 202-662-8700 Fax: 202-662-8711 John J. Hopfield*, Princeton University Martin (Computational), Harry Swinney* (Fluid Walter Davidson, Canadian Association of Physicists General Councillors Dynamics), Peter Zimmerman (Forum on Education), Director of Public Affairs Michael Lubell President-Elect Christina Back, Janet Conrad, Wendell Hill, Evelyn Roger Stuewer (Forum on History of Physics), Patricia Staff Representatives Associate Director of Public Affairs Francis Slakey Leo P. Kadanoff*, University of Chicago Hu*, Ann Orel, Arthur Ramirez, Richart Slusher, Mooney* (Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics), Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Amy Flatten Head of Government Relations Steve Pierson Laura Smoliar* David Ernst (Forum on International Physics), Philip Director of International Affairs; Ted Hodapp, Director Senior Science Policy Fellow Kimberly Duncan Vice-President ”Bo” Hammer* (Forum on Physics and Society), J. of Education and Outreach; Michael Lubell, Director, Office Administrator and Researcher Delia Victoria Arthur Bienenstock*, Stanford University International Councillor H. Eberly (Laser Science), Leonard Feldman Public Affairs; Stanley Brown, Editorial Director; Legislative Correspondent Brian Mosley Albrecht Wagner (Materials), Akif Balantekin (Nuclear), John Jaros* Charles Muller, Director, Journal Operations; Michael Executive Officer (Particles & Fields), TBD (Physics of Beams), James Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville Chair, Nominating Committee Drake* (Plasma), Timothy Lodge (Polymer Physics), College Park, MD Thomas Rosenbaum Gianfranco Vidali, (New York Section), Paul Wolf Administrator for Governing Committees Executive Editor Alan Chodos Treasurer (Ohio Section) Ken Cole Editor Jennifer Ouellette Thomas McIlrath*, University of Maryland (emeritus) Chair, Panel on Public Affairs * Members of the APS Executive Board Staff Writer Ernie Tretkoff Ernest Moniz ADVISORS Art Director / Special Publications Manager Kerry G. Johnson Editor-in-Chief Representatives from Other Societies Design and Production Amera Jones Martin Blume*, Brookhaven National Laboratory Division, Forum and Section Councillors Kenneth Heller, AAPT; Marc Brodsky, AIP (emeritus) Charles Dermer (Astrophysics), Kate Kirby* (Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics) Robert Eisenberg APS Capitol Hill Quarterly July 2006 • 3 Physics helps bolster homeland security

Many physicists are applying pheric neutrinos could detect the San Onofre nuclear generating sta- Columbia University discussed using However, locating an explosion basic physics in unexpected ways antineutrinos produced by nuclear tion in San Clemente, Calif. The pro- earthquake detectors to sense nuclear precisely enough is still challeng- to homeland security problems, and power reactors and give a measure totype detector is small and explosions. ing. Richards and others are work- several groups researchers To a non-specialist, an earthquake ing on techniques for solving that reported their A prototype antineutrino detector. believe it looks very similar to a nuclear explo- problem. In addition to improving the progress at the APS could be made sion, but scientists can tell them apart monitoring of nuclear testing, the April Meeting in even smaller. because of the different patterns of research is also leading to improve- Dallas. For About 1026 shear and compression waves. Even ments in seismologists’ ability to instance, a group of antineutrinos if a country attempts to evade detec- precisely locate earthquakes, he said. researchers from are emitted by tion, tests above 1 or 2 kilotons can- Richards received the Szilard Award Sandia National the reactor not be confidently hidden, said for his work in this area. Laboratory and each day, and Richards. There is already a large These are all examples of how Lawrence several thou- seismic monitoring infrastructure scientists working on basic research Livermore sand interact already in place that can detect explo- can apply their knowledge to prob- National with a proton sions from a distance, and seismol- lems in homeland security, said Laboratory has in the detector. ogists can distinguish a nuclear Edward A. Hartouni of Lawrence proposed building With the pro- explosion from the 200 earthquakes Livermore National Laboratory. By small neutrino totype, the that occur every day. In fact, seismol- supporting scientists to do basic detectors for mon- researchers ogy has turned out to be the most research, “we produce a large reser- itoring nuclear can clearly see important way of monitoring nuclear voir of knowledge which we can reactors. the reactor explosions, said Richards. draw from,” he said. Nuclear reactors turning on and that produce elec- off, and they tric power must be have prelimi- TALKING POINTS: monitored to make nary indica- sure that fissile tions of sensi- with Admiral Richard Mies materials are not tivity to pro- diverted for duction of plu- weapons purposes. tonium. Editor’s Note: The following is an edited excerpt from an extended Q&A interview with Admiral Richard Mies, Currently, the International Atomic of the amount of plutonium in the If the IAEA could adopt this sys- Commander in Chief of Strategic Command, the operational Energy Agency (IEA), monitors reactor core, Bowden and colleagues tem, it would allow real-time mon- commander of US nuclear forces, from 1998 until 2002. Mies nuclear reactors with regular detailed suggest. itoring of plutonium production that helped shape post-9/11 US nuclear strategy. The full interview inspections, which are time-consum- Neutrinos interact infrequently could greatly reduce the need for can be found online at www.aps.org/apsnews/0606/060619.cfm ing and costly. and are hard to detect, Bowden points inspections, Bowden says. He and Now, Nathaniel Bowden of out, but they are also impossible to colleagues plan to carry out a cost- Sandia National Laboratory and his shield, so it would be impossible to benefit analysis to determine whether US nuclear threat can enhance stability colleagues have proposed a new hide the antineutrinos produced in a this method of monitoring reactors Q: What is the nation’s nuclear bilities of the stockpile is not in method for real-time monitoring of nuclear reactor. would be practical. use policy, as you understand it? conflict with the long-term objec- nuclear reactors. A smaller version Bowden and colleagues have In another example of basic sci- A: The primary value of nuclear tive of total disarmament. Frankly, of the same type of detector that sci- already built a prototype detector, ence being applied to security prob- weapons is not in their use; it’s in I’m not sure that the world will entists use to study solar or atmos- which they have installed near the lems, seismologist Paul Richards of the threat or potential of their use. ever be capable of achieving that They are primarily instruments of idealistic objective. Nuclear war prevention rather than war weapon technology cannot be dis- fighting and in my estimation, serve invented. Imagine a world where no NUCLEAR EXPERT continued from page 1 only as weapons of last resort when one had nuclear weapons, except • Increase the priority of prolif- reprocessing. “Let me be clear,” “serious policy, technical and finan- deterrence has failed. Our nation’s for one rogue nation that acquired eration resistance in design and he explained to Members, “we do cial reservations” about the repro- nuclear weapons policies are a small number of nuclear weapons. development of all future nuclear not oppose eventual reprocessing, cessing plan in GNEP. intended to deter potential adver- That would be a very dangerous energy systems. but we believe that a premature The House Energy and Water saries’ use of weapons of mass world compared to the one we • Develop and strengthen inter- decision could diminish the grow- report for FY2007 “strongly endors- destruction and even large-scale presently live in. Even though there national collaborations on key pro- ing momentum for nuclear power es the concept of recycling spent conventional aggression against are a larger number of nuclear the US and our allies. weapons, our situation is far more liferation-resistant technologies. among the general public.” nuclear fuel,” but finds GNEP lack- stable. • A policy decision about repro- When GNEP was first ing in its strategic plan for achiev- Q: Do you see any contradiction As we move toward this ideal- cessing should not outpace the sci- announced, Secretary of Energy ing this. For instance, GNEP favors between the US policy of advocat- istic goal of disarmament, we need ence. Since there is no urgent need Samuel Bodman declared that the an alternate recycling process using ing nuclear nonproliferation to be realistic and never lose sight for the US to initiate reprocessing, program “brings the promise of vir- fast burner reactors, which might be around the globe while pursuing of the principle of enhancing sta- the Department of Energy should tually limitless energy to emerging technologically desirable, but which more usable nuclear weapons bility. That ought to be the over-rid- take sufficient time to the Committee feels options at home? ing criterion. As Sir Michael identify the most cost- “adds significant cost, A: I strongly disagree with the Quinlan has stated: “The absence effective technology that Next-generation safeguards time and risk to the recy- contention that nuclear weapons of war between advanced states is are more usable just because they a key success. We must seek to would also be the most technologies cling effort.” resistant to threats of pro- Nonproliferation and have improved capabilities and are perpetuate it. Weapons are instru- tailored to a broader range of mental and secondary; the basic liferation. • “Use controls” that impede operation if a nuclear facil- national security issues ity is operated in a manner that strays from peaceful threats. The history of our stockpile aim is to avoid war. Better a world These four steps won’t are also a concern, partic- was one of improved capabilities with nuclear weapons but no major solve the proliferation use. ularly with regard to the • High-speed data recovery and on-line alerting that throughout the Cold War. Those war than one with major war but no problem. “No single need to integrate spent weapons helped keep the Cold War allow a transition from the current system of periodic nuclear weapons.” diplomatic, military, eco- fuel recycling, “keeping cold. Nuclear weapons with tai- nomic, or technical initia- IAEA inspections to a system of continuous remote sensitive materials and lored capabilities are more likely to Q: North Korea and Iran are tive alone will be able to monitoring. facilities within a secure deter your adversaries than simply moving toward the development of fully deal with the prolif- • Radiation activated nuclear fuel tags. perimeter and minimiz- maintaining a stockpile that was nuclear weapons. Do nonprolifer- eration challenge, ” said • Advanced automated air samplers to detect diver- ing offsite transportation designed against a very different ation policies need to be changed Hagengruber. “The best sion of nuclear material. of special nuclear materi- Cold War threat. The threshold for or strengthened? using a nuclear weapon is very, A: There needs to be continued prospect for achieving als.” On the Web very high. assertion and reinforcement of non-proliferation goals A final Committee Around 1945, there’s a dramat- those principles. The nonprolifer- while expanding nuclear POPA Report: concern centers on the ic decrease in deaths in combat as ation regime has had a fairly good power is to engage all http://www.aps.org/public_affairs/proliferation-resist- lack of a requirement for a percentage of the world’s popu- record despite Iran and North appropriate means and to ance interim storage of spent lation. Warfare has fundamentally Korea. To the degree that we can maximize their respec- Hagengruber Congressional testimony: nuclear fuel, particularly changed in the nuclear era. In ear- maintain a credible nuclear deter- tive contributions.” http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/energy05/ in light of delays and lier history, warfare didn’t have the rent without underground testing, In February of this june15/Hagengruber.pdf mounting costs of the potentially dire global conse- I support the current moratorium. year, President Bush GNEP: http://www.gnep.energy.gov planned high-level quences that it has today. Today, the But there’s a great danger when announced a new Global House Report 109-474: http://thomas.loc.gov nuclear waste facility at level of conflict may escalate you lock yourself into treaties that Nuclear Energy Yucca Mountain. beyond a nation’s control and lead attempt to establish absolutes such to unacceptable consequences, giv- as the Comprehensive Test Ban Partnership (GNEP). Hagengruber’s panel ing nations pause. I would argue Treaty. There are certain legitimate Like the POPA report, it identifies economies around the globe, in an is now doing a study of interim stor- that one of the primary reasons for scenarios where we might have to a pathway to globally expand environmentally friendly manner age of spent nuclear fuel. He antic- the dramatic decrease is the exis- perform a limited test if we had nuclear power while limiting pro- while reducing the threat of nuclear ipates that the report will be com- tence of nuclear weapons has grave concerns about the reliabil- liferation risks. A key element of proliferation. If we can make GNEP pleted by the end of the year. caused great nations to behave ity of our stockpile. GNEP is the creation of a fuel serv- a reality, we can make the world a Hagengruber is practical about more responsibly and to even seek It’s not that we want to conduct ices program that would provide better, cleaner, safer place to live.” the limitations of technical solu- to avoid conventional war for fear nuclear tests. But we’ve always nuclear fuel to nations in exchange GNEP’s progress through tions. “In the end, technology alone it could potentially escalate into a held as a principle that we will take for their commitment not to devel- Congress thus far has been less than can’t stop proliferation, and some nuclear one. whatever actions are prudent and op enrichment or reprocessing tech- smooth. Many members support sort of long-term institutional necessary to defend ourselves. As Q: Does developing a new inven- a nation, we are very reluctant to nology. In addition, GNEP con- nuclear energy, but there are con- changes will be needed,” he tory of nuclear weapons with a dif- surrender that right of self-protec- tained the first three POPA recom- cerns that GNEP might not be ide- observed. “That was part of the ferent set of capabilities violate the tion. We are wary of locking our- mendations, but differed on the ally formulated. Representative rationale for GNEP. Nuclear ener- terms of the nonproliferation treaty: selves into international agreements fourth point, laying out a more David Hobson (R-OH), chair of the gy will go forward whether the US that those countries with weapons that could constrain us should we aggressive plan for reprocessing. House Energy and Water pursues it or not. Perhaps if the US should be working toward disarma- need to exercise that right, in some Hagengruber was invited to tes- Development Appropriations takes a leadership role, it can shape ment? unforeseen world that we can’t pre- tify before Congress on the issue of Subcommittee publicly expressed that agenda.” A: Improving some of the capa- dict today. 4 • July 2006 APS Capitol Hill Quarterly The Back

he funds we spend on publicized race through the research and develop- Mohave Desert. The X-Prize ment (R&D) for new stands as another example of suc- energy technologies are PAGE cessful use of prize authority. some of the most This $10 million privately-fund- Timportant dollars in the ed award produced the first suc- federal budget. But we have a cessful space flight ever achieved problem – federal funding for without public support. These energy R&D has been declining prizes encourage multiple teams for years, and it is not being made to undertake novel approaches, up by increased private sector and they generate significant pri- R&D expenditures. There is a Meeting our long-term energy vate sector investment due to vital need for a bipartisan effort their inherent prestige. to increase federal R&D fund- We need to encourage high- ing for energy technology, to needs through Federal R&D technology industries, including leverage those funds with energy sector industries, to increased private sector invest- increase their R&D investments. ment and to work with the by Senator Pete V. Domenici Legislation that I introduced with Executive Branch to bring new my Senate colleagues Jeff energy technologies quickly to Bingaman (D-NM) and Lamar the market place. In the last year, Alexander (R-TN) will do just we have taken important steps to implement this vision. that. The Protecting America’s Competitive Edge Over the 25-year period from 1978 to 2004, feder- through Finance (PACE-Finance) Act will modernize al appropriations for energy R&D fell from $6.4 bil- and make permanent the R&D tax credit. After two lion to $2.75 billion in constant year-2000 dollars, a decades of extending the tax credit for just a year or reduction of nearly 60 percent. Even worse, federal and two in advance, it is time to give industry the certain- private sector expenditures combined are less than ty it needs. This certainty will lead to greater spend- one percent of total energy sales. Private sector invest- ing on R&D, leading to more innovation, and to a ment in energy R&D fell from about $4 billion in stronger, more competitive economy. 1990 to about $2 bil- In his State of the lion today. Of our Union address earlier “There is a nation’s high-tech- this year, the President “Greater public nology industries, announced his Advan- vital need for a energy is the least ced Energy Initiative and private bipartisan effort intensive in terms of (AEI). The President’s investment in to increase federal R&D. Consider, for Advanced Energy energy R&D will R&D funding for comparision, that pri- Initiative builds on the make our energy energy technology...” vate sector R&D Energy Policy Act by sector cleaner, investments equal identifying key tech- about 12 percent in nologies where we will more secure, the pharmaceuticals focus our efforts. and more resilient” industry, and about 15 percent of sales in the airline The purpose of the industry. It is past time to reverse that trend. AEI is to reduce our Last August, Congress enacted the first comprehen- national dependence on sive energy legislation in 12 years – the Energy Policy foreign sources of energy, including the natural gas we Act of 2005. Already we are seeing results. But the chal- use to heat our homes and the crude oil we rely upon lenges we face are long-term — they will require con- to fuel our cars. To support this initiative, the President tinued hard work for years to come. To this end, the has requested for an overall 22 percent increase in fis- Act strengthens our commitment to investing in ener- cal year 2007 funding for the development of key gy-related R&D. In all, it calls for $24.2 billion in fund- duction, we must also increase our production of new technologies. ing over the next three years for research programs in energy technologies. And these technologies must move Under the President’s Initiative, we will invest in energy technology and energy-related science. from laboratory to market, or we will be no closer to technologies for zero-emission coal fired power plants. The Energy Policy Act also provides a framework for realizing a stronger energy economy. Crossing this These plants will capture and store pollutants and car- a balanced set of programs in energy research, devel- “Valley of Death” is not easy. Even technologies with bon dioxide rather than releasing them into the atmos- opment, demonstration, and commercial application. obvious commercial potential often confound attempts phere. We will continue our support for revolutionary Previously, the Secretary of Energy had no guidance in to find successful markets. new solar and wind technologies, to make them more choosing research topics and program Federal funding for energy cost competitive. Through the Global Nuclear Energy components for energy R&D. The R&D is critical, but we also need Partnership, we will develop a nuclear fuel cycle that Act addresses this problem, establish- policies that encourage greater enhances energy security, while addressing prolifera- ing clear guidelines for research pro- “… the Energy Policy Act private sector investment. tion concerns. grams in energy efficiency, renew- of 2005... calls for $24.2 The Energy Policy Act The AEI emphasizes the importance of advanced able energy, fossil energy, and nuclear billion in funding over strengthens Department of transportation technologies. To accelerate consumer energy technologies. Energy efforts to partner with adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles, the administra- With the Energy Policy Act, the the next three years for private companies interested in tion has committed to increase the energy storage and Department will be better able to man- research programs in lab-developed technologies. The the lifetimes of batteries for these vehicles. To achieve age our R&D investments. The Act energy technology and Act establishes a technology greater use of homegrown renewable fuels, the initia- creates a new Under Secretary for energy-related science.” transfer coordinator to advise the tive will develop advanced technologies to make com- Science to serve as the primary sci- Secretary on technology transfer petitively priced ethanol from cellulosic biomass, such ence and technology advisor to the and commercialization. It also as agricultural and forestry residues, trees, and grass- Secretary of Energy. The new Under creates a technology commer- es. Moreover, President Bush three years ago gave Secretary is responsible for monitoring civilian research cialization fund with a budget of about $25 million Americans the vision of a hydrogen future free from a and development programs, and advising the Secretary annually. That federal funding will be seed money to reliance on foreign oil. The Energy Policy Act moves in managing national laboratories supporting basic leverage private sector investments through partner- us toward that future with an authorization of over $3 research. ships with local businesses. Helping laboratories “spin- billion in research on hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells. The Under Secretary for Science will also ensure off” technologies to the private sector will lead to new Our nation has a bright energy future. Greater pub- that the Department remains focused on our long-term businesses, job creation, and a more innovative econ- lic and private investment in energy R&D will produce energy goals. In particular, we need to build bridges omy. a suite of new technologies that will make our energy between basic science and applied energy functions. This The Energy Policy Act also gives the Department of sector cleaner, more secure, and more resilient. We laid is vital for crossover applications — so that areas in Energy new authority to hold prize competitions in the groundwork in the Energy Policy Act, and by fol- applied energy where we need scientific breakthroughs “grand challenge” areas of energy technology. The lowing through on the President’s vision of the Advanced are addressed. An example is the workshop held in Department can use this authority to accelerate progress Energy Initiative we will meet the energy challenges that 2003 that produced the report on Basic Research Needs in challenging areas — such as hydrogen and fuel cell lie ahead. for the Hydrogen Economy. The new Under Secretary vehicles and carbon capture and storage. This prize for Science should help ensure that more of this kind authority is modeled after that used successfully by the Senator Pete V. Domenici (R, NM) chairs the Senate of bridging work is undertaken by the Department and Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency Energy & Natural Resources Committee and the Senate that the Department gives it high priority. (DARPA). DARPA spurred private sector investment Appropriations Energy & Water subcommittee. He is While our nation must increase domestic energy pro- in robotics technologies, for example, through a well- serving in his sixth term.

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