On S. 1297, the PACE-Energy Act

Before the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resource
U.S. Senate

February 15, 2006

Good morning, Chairman Domenici, Ranking Member Bingaman, and members of the Committee. I am pleased to appear before you to discuss S. 2197, the Protecting America’s Competitive Edge through Energy Act of 2006 -- also known as the PACE-Energy Act -- which you introduced on January 26th.

The President’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), unveiled in his State of the Union message, demonstrates the President’s strong commitment to continued U.S. competitiveness through a renewed national effort in basic scientific research and math education. To repeat the President’s own words: “We must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity. Our greatest advantage in the world has always been our educated, hardworking, ambitious people -- and we're going to keep that edge. Tonight I announce an American Competitiveness Initiative, to encourage innovation throughout our economy, and to give our nation's children a firm grounding in math and science.”

The State of the Union message, and the subsequent release of the President’s FY 2007 budget that contains substantial increases for basic research in the physical sciences, are all part of the strategy. America’s competitiveness is truly a result of the ingenuity of the American people. This native ingenuity can be nurtured and brought to fruition through the precise application of the President’s ACI.

The FY 2007 budget includes a $505 million increase in DOE’s Science programs, which is part of a commitment to double funding for certain high-leverage science agencies over the next ten years. The ACI recognizes that scientific discovery and understanding help drive economic strength and security. Developing revolutionary, science-driven technology is at the heart of the Department of Energy’s mission. The increase proposed for the Department’s Science programs reflects the significant contribution DOE and its world-class research facilities make to the Nation.

The President’s ACI will encourage American innovation and bolster our ability to compete in the global economy through increased federal investment in critical areas of research, especially in the physical sciences and engineering, in large part through DOE’s Office of Science. This initiative will generate scientific and technological advances for decades to come and will help ensure that future generations have an even brighter future. The Office of Science is educating and training our next generation of scientists and engineers. Roughly half of the researchers at Office of Science-run facilities are university faculty or graduate or postdoctoral students (who work side by side with scientists and researchers employed directly by the labs), and about a third of Office of Science research funds go to institutions of higher learning.

The DOE’s Office of Science is the steward of government funding for the physical sciences in this country. We operate 10 national laboratories, and a number of scientific facilities, that provide superb facilities for the Nation’s scientists, allowing them to perform multi-disciplinary scientific research at the frontiers of discovery. It falls to us to inspire our young people with the possibilities of science, mathematics, and engineering at DOE facilities, if we are to maintain our edge.

In closing, the Administration welcomes the opportunity to discuss with Congress methods to accelerate progress in promising energy technologies, some of which may well require breakthroughs in basic science research. These important concerns were articulated in the Augustine Report. The specific proposal for the creation of an ARPA-E is not in the President’s budget, and we have significant concerns about the creation of this additional mechanism, the resources that would be required to fund it, and whether there might be alternative and better ways to accomplish its goals. However, we are ready to work with you to explore these questions.

I thank the Chair and the committee for this opportunity to testify and look forward to answering any questions you may have.