Schumer, Clinton Bishop: Energy Dept Assures Delegation It Will Fully Fund Brookhaven's RHIC Program, Significantly Fund NSLS II Program

Schumer, Clinton, Bishop: Energy Dept Assures Delegation It Will Fully Fund Brookhaven's RHIC Program, Significantly Fund NSLS II Program

Following this week's announcement that the Department of Energy's Office of Science will receive a $200 million increase for the FY 2007 from its FY 2006 funding level, yesterday, DOE Office of Science Director Raymond Orbach assured Senators Schumer and Clinton and Congressman Bishop that the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) program will be fully funded for FY 2007 and the National Synchotron Light Source II (NSLS II) program will be significantly funded for FY 2007. Orbach's assurance is a huge victory for Brookhaven National Labs which was girding itself for devastating budget cuts.

On Tuesday, Senator Schumer sent a letter to the Office of Science urging it to use its increased budget to fully fund RHIC and NSLS II. Yesterday, Schumer followed-up with a phone call to Director Orbach and secured assurances that RHIC would be fully funded and NSLS II would be significantly funded for FY 2007.

"I'm thrilled that Director Orbach responded so quickly to our request, and that he understands the huge impact Brookhaven's programs have on our nation's scientific research and Long Island's high-tech job market," said Senator Schumer. "Continued funding for these two cutting-edge programs will help ensure that American science remains a global leader."

"This is a tremendous victory for science and for Long Island," Senator Clinton said. "This has been a long fight but I am pleased that the Administration is going to do the right thing for Brookhaven National Lab in this Budget. These much needed funds are absolutely critical to Brookhaven Lab's continuing scientific research. This announcement not only recognizes the importance of the lab's research, but is an investment in Long Island's continued involvement in cutting edge scientific research and development."

"Full federal funding for the RHIC is good for Long Island and will help secure America's competitive edge in scientific research," Bishop, who also spoke personally with Orbach to confirm that the Office of Science will fully fund the project, said. "Advancing this research will also preserve hundreds of jobs held by BNL's highly skilled and dedicated employees. But I also recognize that our scientific community cannot thrive in this unpredictable funding environment. I will work with my colleagues to make sure that as we go forward, we meet the needs of the scientific community and BNL."

Yesterday, the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed the House with an increase in funding for the DOE's Office of Science at $3,796,393,000, an increase of approximately $200 million from FY '06. The FY06 budget for the Department of Energy cut funding for RHIC. Because only 2 of the 11 Appropriations bills were signed into law last year, Appropriators set funding for most federal agencies at the FY06 funding level in the FY07 Continuing Resolution. It's is expected that the Continuing Resolution will pass the Senate by mid February.

Schumer, Clinton and Bishop also pledged to continue fighting for full funding for NSLS II, a new state-of-the-art electron storage ring designed to deliver world-leading intensity and brightness. It will produce broad and practical impacts on a wide range of initiatives in nanotechnology, biomedicine, and clean and affordable energy. The funds for design and development for NSLS II would be administered by BNL

The RHIC is a 2.4-mile superconductor that accelerates gold ions to nearly the speed of light and causes collisions that recreate the 'Big Bang', offering a glimpse into the birth of the universe during its first few microseconds.

Schumer, Clinton and Bishop have been longtime champions for Brookhaven, securing millions to support the lab's work along with being the leading public official in the accelerated cleanup effort. Schumer helped restore operations funding for the BNL's major facilities: RHIC, Light Source, and the medical imaging program. These cuts, if allowed, would have been devastating to BNL. The Senator was an early supporter, and continues to be an avid proponent, of the BNL's Center for Functional Nanomaterials

Brookhaven National Laboratory, established in 1947 and located in Upton, Long Island, is operated by Brookhaven Science Associates for the United States Department of Energy. Brookhaven's staff of over 3,000 scientists, engineers and technicians specializes in nuclear physics research and has received an impressive six Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking work. Brookhaven Lab's programs include the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) designated to researching quark-gluon plasma, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), National Synchotron Light Source II (NSLSII), and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN).

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=268664&&year=2007&