250 General Science, Space & Technology
The Office of Nuclear Physics supports theoretical and experimental research in the field. The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation conduct nearly all basic nuclear physics research. Research groups at 90 public and private universities, and nine federally funded laboratories (including Brookhaven, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos), are exploring heavy ions, medium-energy physics, … Continue reading Return Funding for the Office of Nuclear Physics to FY 2008 Levels
This program under the Office of Sciences conducts computer modeling, simulations, and testing to advance the Department of Energy’s mission through applied mathematics, computer science, and integrated network environments. These models can lay the foundation for scientific breakthroughs and are arguably some of the most important aspects of basic DOE research, but this program has … Continue reading Return Advanced Scientific Computing Research to FY 2008 Levels
The Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) is another energy program designed to fund high-risk, high-reward projects on which the private sector would not embark on its own. ARPA-E also has the goal of reducing energy imports, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases. The problem is that ARPA-E does not always seem … Continue reading Eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy Program
The BER program funds research for a variety of energy-related subjects including biology, radiochemistry, climate science, and subsurface biogeochemistry. At a basic research and development level, the funding for some of the research endeavors is valid, but climate change should not be one of them, because it is not part of the DOE’s mission. Furthermore, … Continue reading Eliminate the Biological and Environmental Research Program
BES is a legitimate program that investigates “fundamental research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and to support other aspects of DOE mission in energy, environment, and national security.” ((Department of Energy, “Fiscal Year 2012 … Continue reading Reduce Basic Energy Sciences Funding
Energy Information Hubs create multidisciplinary teams to overcome obstacles in energy technologies. The Department of Energy should create multidisciplinary teams across offices and different agencies to reduce bureaucracy and pull valuable knowledge into different disciplines of research. The problem with the Energy Information Hubs is that they focus on promoting specific energy sources and technology … Continue reading Eliminate Energy Information Hubs
Fusion technology has much potential to offer inexhaustible quantities of energy without the byproduct of spent nuclear fuel that results from nuclear fission—the way that conventional nuclear power plants produce electricity. While research on fusion should continue, the question is whether the federal government should be involved and to what extent. Currently, there are 63 … Continue reading Reduce Fusion Energy Sciences Spending to FY 2008 Levels
The HEP program has the mission of uncovering “how our universe works at its most fundamental level.” In effect, HEP exists to explore how space, matter, time, and energy interact with one another. Financial support from the HEP goes to 10 national laboratories and more than 100 public and private universities to study proton-accelerator-based physics, … Continue reading Reduce High Energy Physics Program Funding