THE NEXT GENERATION OF FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 29, 2009 Serial No. 111–61 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 52–894PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chair JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR., LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin DAVID WU, Oregon LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas BRIAN BAIRD, Washington DANA ROHRABACHER, California BRAD MILLER, North Carolina ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio W. TODD AKIN, Missouri BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas PAUL D. TONKO, New York BOB INGLIS, South Carolina PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida JIM MATHESON, Utah BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri PETE OLSON, Texas BARON P. HILL, Indiana HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio KATHLEEN DAHLKEMPER, Pennsylvania ALAN GRAYSON, Florida SUZANNE M. KOSMAS, Florida GARY C. PETERS, Michigan VACANCY SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HON. BRIAN BAIRD, Washington, Chair JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois BOB INGLIS, South Carolina EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida PAUL D. TONKO, New York JIM MATHESON, Utah LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky BART GORDON, Tennessee RALPH M. HALL, Texas CHRIS KING Democratic Staff Director SHIMERE WILLIAMS Democratic Professional Staff Member ELAINE PAULIONIS PHELEN Democratic Professional Staff Member ADAM ROSENBERG Democratic Professional Staff Member JETTA WONG Democratic Professional Staff Member ELIZABETH CHAPEL Republican Professional Staff Member TARA ROTHSCHILD Republican Professional Staff Member JANE WISE Research Assistant (II) C O N T E N T S October 29, 2009 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Bart Gordon, Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................... 10 Statement by Representative Brian Baird, Chairman, Subcommittee on En- ergy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ................................................................................................ 8 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 8 Statement by Representative Bob Inglis, Ranking Minority Member, Sub- committee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Tech- nology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................... 13 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 13 Prepared Statement by Representative Jerry F. Costello, Member, Sub- committee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Tech- nology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................... 9 Prepared Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Member, Sub- committee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Tech- nology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................... 10 Statement by Representative Lincoln Davis, Member, Subcommittee on En- ergy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ................................................................................................ 11 Statement by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers, Member, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................... 9 Statement by Representative Rush D. Holt, State of New Jersey, 12th Dis- trict ........................................................................................................................ 11 Witnesses: Dr. Edmund J. Synakowski, Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 13 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 15 Biography .......................................................................................................... 22 Dr. Stewart C. Prager, Director, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 22 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 24 Biography .......................................................................................................... 33 Dr. Thomas E. Mason, Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 33 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 35 Biography .......................................................................................................... 39 Dr. Riccardo Betti, Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Physics and Astron- omy; Senior Scientist and Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, Labora- tory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 39 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 41 (III) IV Page Dr. Riccardo Betti, Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Physics and Astron- omy; Senior Scientist and Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, Labora- tory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester—Continued Biography .......................................................................................................... 47 Dr. Raymond J. Fonck, Professor of Engineering Physics, University of Wis- consin–Madison Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 48 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 49 Biography .......................................................................................................... 56 Discussion How Fusion Energy Becomes a Usable Resource .............................................. 57 Potential Consumer Prices for Fusion Energy .................................................. 58 Fusion as an Alternative to Other Energy Sources .......................................... 59 Arguments for Promoting Fusion Research ....................................................... 60 National Security and Technical Elements of Plasmas in Reactors ................ 61 Fusion vs. Wind and Solar Energy ..................................................................... 64 Electrifying Transportation ................................................................................. 64 Skeptical Arguments ............................................................................................ 65 A Federal Agency Home for Inertial Fusion Research ..................................... 67 Fusion as an Unacceptable Substitute for Conservation .................................. 68 Closing .................................................................................................................. 69 Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Quetions Dr. Edmund J. Synakowski, Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy ................................................... 72 Appendix 2: Additional Material for the Record Additional Testimony by Dr. Stewart C. Prager, Director, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ............................................................................................... 76 THE NEXT GENERATION OF FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:03 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Brian Baird