Schumer, Gillibrand Launch Push to Secure Over $82 Million in Fed Funding for Rochester Laser Lab in 2020 Budget -- Funding Would Keep 350 Workers on The Job and United States at The Cutting Edge of High-Tech Energy Research

Statement

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today launched their push to secure $82.4 million in federal funding for the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Schumer and Gillibrand urged federal appropriators to include this funding in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. This boosted funding would be used to provide the necessary resources to support the Lab's research program and operations and experiments on OMEGA, which is the second most powerful ultraviolet fusion laser in the world.

Schumer and Gillibrand have long fought to ensure the Rochester laser lab has the funding it needs to maintain hundreds of good-paying, local jobs and continue its cutting edge research. Last year in the FY 2019 appropriations process, the senators secured $80 million for the Laser Lab, rejecting the administration's February 2018 budget proposal to defund the Laser Lab within three years and eliminate hundreds of high-tech jobs in Rochester. In response, Schumer visited the Laser Lab in March 2018 to announce his multi-prong push to reverse this proposed closure plan and instead increase funding for the Lab in FY18 and FY19 to keep the Lab's 350 skilled Rochester workers on the job. In addition, Gillibrand led the fight in the Senate to ensure necessary funding for the Laser Lab. Following their push, Schumer and Gillibrand succeeded in securing $75 million for the Lab in FY 2018 and then secured $80 million in FY19. Absent this $80 million level of funding, the Lab could have been forced to lay off scientists and engineers, and reduce their capacity and partnerships with national laboratories.

"The U of R Laser Lab, a trailblazer in research and discovery that's been home to Noble Prize-winning discoveries, plays a fundamental role in U.S. national security by helping to safeguard the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and provides 350 good-paying jobs to the Rochester-Finger Lakes' economy. Boosting funding for this innovative and ground-breaking facility is a no-brainer, and is a true win-win for the Rochester-Finger Lakes and the United States," said Senator Schumer. "The U.S. is currently the global leader in high-energy laser technologies -- this increased funding would not only ensure Rochester can continue as a job-creating center of scientific talent, but allow U of R to keep the nation at the forefront of this research and on the cutting edge of laser innovation."

"The University of Rochester's Laser Lab conducts ground-breaking, globally-recognized research and is an asset to our national security," said Senator Gillibrand. "The Laser Lab attracts scientists from across the country to Rochester, creates hundreds of good-paying jobs, and helps drive economic growth and innovation in Upstate New York. I am proud to lead the fight in the Senate every year to make sure that the Laser Lab has the resources it needs to keep doing its important work for our country, and I urge my colleagues to provide necessary funding for the lab in this year's appropriations bill."

Established in 1970, the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) of the University of Rochester is a unique national resource for research and education in science and technology and a major asset of the University not found at any other university in the country. Both the Rochester area and the University have a history of innovation that provides a singular environment for LLE within a technologically sophisticated scientific community.

LLE is the largest U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) university-based research program in the entire nation and is home to the OMEGA lasers (Omega and Omega EP) -- the largest and most capable at any academic institution in the world. LLE conducts implosion and basic physics experiments in support of the national Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program, validates advanced concepts for ICF to be used on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in order to demonstrate ignition and energy gain, serves as the principal laser research facility for three national laboratories, and is the only ICF facility with education as a primary mission. It is a vital component of the nation's scientific capital and leadership, and key to strategic work on an independent energy future.

University of Rochester President Richard Feldman said, "For nearly 50 years, the LLE, which houses the largest and most powerful laser systems found at any academic institution in the world, has been a major contributor to our national and economic security. It was also the site of groundbreaking research that was recognized with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. The LLE is the largest university-based U.S. Department of Energy program in the U.S., and the work of the 350 scientists, engineers, and staff at the lab would not be possible without the tremendous federal support we continue to receive due to the leadership of our champions in Congress, especially Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand."

As one of the premier institutions training the next generation of leaders in the fields of physics, optics, and material science, LLE is an economic development magnet that provides high-tech jobs and attracts scientific talent to the Rochester community. Many Rochester companies, including Sydor Technologies, QED Technologies, and Lucid, were created as a result of the Lab and now employ hundreds of people. LLE's work has also generated almost $16 million in business with more than 50 local companies across New York State since 2015.

Since its inception, the LLE has attracted more than $2.3 billion to New York State to support cutting-edge research. Through the LLE's mission, the University also attracts as many as 400 additional visiting scientists each year to Rochester from national laboratories, universities, and companies, and currently hosts over 145 students (graduate, undergraduate, and high school).

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