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SCIENCE POLICY Incorporating WASHINGTON NEWS and policy news from around the world.

U.S. House of Representatives Introduces Bill to Double DOE Funding Levels by FY07 Among the last-minute items of business conducted in the U.S. House of Representatives before breaking for its summer vacation was the introduction of legislation that seeks to set the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science on a course to double its budget over the next four years. The bill would also create a new undersecretary position to centralize DOE’s basic and applied research programs. Following a July 25 hearing, the new bill, called the Department of Energy Office of Science Authorization Act (H.R. 5270), was formally introduced and referred to the House Science Committee for further consideration. One major provision of H.R. 5270 is to address DOE’s antiquated management structure by creating a new undersecretary of energy research and science with authority over all civilian science research programs that support activities at DOE national laboratories and U.S. research universities. “An undersecretary, properly credentialed in science or engineering, would be better able to integrate DOE’s basic and applied research programs, provide the vital visibility for DOE’s science enterprise, and allow the existing undersecretary to concentrate on DOE’s important environmental management mission,” said Michael Lubell, director of the American Physical Society’s (APS’s) Office of Public Affairs. Lubell’s office helped initiate the effort to introduce this legislation and worked closely with the office of one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), and representatives from other scientific societies to develop the bill’s language. Of predominant interest to the scientific community are the bill’s provisions for funding increases through FY06 that would essentially set DOE on the path toward doubling its budget. Such substantial increases are necessary, according to Kate Bannan, chair of the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC), a broad-based group of organizations representing scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in universities, industry, and national laboratories who are committed to supporting and advancing the scientific research programs of DOE and, in particular, the DOE Office of Science. Bannan said that the budget for the Office of Science remains at 1990 levels, in terms of constant dollars, while federal investment in medical and life sciences has more than tripled over the last 30 years. 740

“Unfortunately, the Office of Science doesn’t have a very high profile, and as a result, it often doesn’t receive the same kind of attention as other agencies, particularly in a time of tight budgets,” she said. As a percentage of the gross domestic product, the federal research and development (R&D) investment for the department is at its lowest point in 40 years. Yet the office “funds some amazing work,” Bannan said, “and I think it is one of the best-kept secrets of the federal R&D portfolio.” With an FY02 budget of clos