Bill introduced to authorize $240M for NS&E university programs
Senators Bingaman (D-NM), Domenici (R-NM) and Crapo (R-ID) introduced S.242 on February 1. The bill would authorize $240 million in federal spending for University Nuclear Science and Engineering Programs at the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
The bill also directs the Department of Energy to develop a graduate and undergraduate fellowship program to attract new students, and to assist universities in recruiting and retaining new faculty.
The legislation authorizes total spending of $239.7 million over five years for research and fellowship programs, starting at $30.2 million in fiscal 2002 and rising to $64.1 million in fiscal 2006. The two largest investments, $68 million each (over the five year period), would go to the Nuclear Engineering and Education Research Program (NEER) and the Reactor Research and Training Award Program. For recruitment, $39 million would be targeted to the Junior Faculty Research Initiation Grant Program, with another $15.7 million authorized for graduate and undergraduate fellowships.
Discussions are ongoing with House members about the introduction of a companion piece in the House in order to ensure the authorization moves forward to enactment. Once authorized, the funding would still require annual appropriations through the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. However, this bill serves to recognize the importance of these programs to the nuclear science infrastructure and the need to make investments into these areas.
Please contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 242. Also, please send a note of appreciate to Sen. Bingaman, as well as Sens. Crapo and Domenici for this measure.
