Statement of

Raymond L. Orbach

**Director of the Office of Science**

**U.S. Department of Energy**

**Before the**

**Committee on Appropriations**

**Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development**

**U.S.** **Senate**

**March 3, 2004**

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today about the Department of Energy's (DOE)
Office of Science (SC) Fiscal Year 2005 budget request. The Department
appreciates the support of the Chairman and the Members of the Committee
over the past years and I look forward to working with you to ensure
that our Nation stays at the leading edge of science and technology.

The Office of Science FY 2005 budget request is \$3.4 billion, a \$68.5
million decrease from the FY 2004 appropriation levels. When \$140.8
million for FY 2004 Congressionally-directed projects is set aside,
there is an increase of \$72.3 million in FY 2005. This request makes
investments in: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), Basic
Energy Sciences (BES), Biological and Environmental Research (BER),
Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), High Energy Physics (HEP), Nuclear Physics
(NP), Science Laboratories Infrastructure, Safeguards and Security,
Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists and Science Program
Direction.

It allows us to increase support for high priority scientific research,
increase operations at our key scientific user facilities, keep major
science construction projects on schedule, and support new initiatives.
This request, coming at a time of tight overall Federal budgets, is also
a demonstration of the Administration's support for basic research and
the role that fundamental science plays in keeping our Nation strong and
secure.

Office of Science\
FY 2005 President's Request\
(B/A in thousands)

+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
|                                        | FY 2003 | FY 2004 | FY 2005 |
|                                        | Com     | Com     | Presi   |
|                                        | parable | parable | dent\'s |
|                                        | Approp. | Approp. | Request |
+========================================+=========+=========+=========+
| **Science**                            |         |         |         |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Advanced Scientific Computing        | 163,185 | 202,292 | 204,340 |
| > Research                             |         |         |         |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Basic Energy Sciences                | 1,      | 1,      | 1,      |
|                                        | 001,941 | 010,591 | 063,530 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Biological & Environmental Research  | 494,360 | 641,454 | 501,590 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > *Congressionally-directed projects*  | *(5     | *(14    | *(-     |
|                                        | 1,927)* | 0,762)* | -----)* |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > *Core Biological and Environmental   | *(44    | *(50    | *(50    |
| > Research*                            | 2,433)* | 0,692)* | 1,590)* |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Fusion Energy Sciences               | 240,695 | 262,555 | 264,110 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > High Energy Physics                  | 702,038 | 733,631 | 737,380 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Nuclear Physics                      | 370,655 | 389,623 | 401,040 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Science Laboratories Infrastructure  | 45,109  | 54,280  | 29,090  |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Science Program Direction            | 137,425 | 152,581 | 155,268 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Workforce Development for Teachers & | 5,392   | 6,432   | 7,660   |
| > Scientists                           |         |         |         |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Small Business Innovation            | 100,172 | ------  | ------  |
| > Research/Technology Transfer         |         |         |         |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Safeguards and Security              | 61,272  | 56,730  | 67,710  |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| Subtotal, Science                      | 3,      | 3,      | 3,      |
|                                        | 322,244 | 510,169 | 431,718 |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > Use of prior year balances           | ------  | -10,000 | ------  |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| **Total, Science**                     | **3,32  | **3,50  | **3,43  |
|                                        | 2,244** | 0,169** | 1,718** |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+
| > *Total, excluding                    | *(3,27  | *(3,35  | *(3,43  |
| > Congressionally-directed projects*   | 0,317)* | 9,407)* | 1,718)* |
+----------------------------------------+---------+---------+---------+

I am proud to tell you that the Department of Energy was ranked the most
improved cabinet-level agency in the most recent scorecard to assess
implementation of the President's Management Agenda (PMA). The
scorecard, which evaluates agency performance in the areas of human
capital, competitive sourcing, financial management, e-government, and
budget/performance integration, was issued by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) in January and recognized the Department as one of the
agencies \"leading the pack with regard to management improvement.\"

The Department has made a strong commitment to a results-driven,
performance-based approach to management of itself and its
government-owned, contractor-operated laboratories. Laboratory contracts
are being renegotiated so that mutually agreed upon performance measures
will result in increased contractor authority and accountability, while
lessening the burden of DOE day-to-day oversight of activities. In
January of this year, the Department announced that it will compete the
management and operating contracts for seven of the DOE laboratories.

In September 2003, the Department issued its updated Strategic Plan and
incorporated this Plan and the Performance Plan into the FY 2005 budget
request.  The performance measures included in this budget were
developed with input from our scientific advisory committees and OMB. A
website ([www.sc.doe.gov/measures](http://www.sc.doe.gov/measures)) has
been developed to more fully explain the new measures within the context
of each program.

SCIENCE PLANS AND PRIORITIES

When I joined the Office of Science after a career as a university
scientist and administrator, I came with an appreciation for the four
key roles that the Office plays in the U.S. research effort. *We provide
solutions to our Nation's energy challenges*, contributing essential
scientific foundations to the energy, national, and economic security
missions of the DOE. *We are the Nation's leading supporter of the
physical sciences*, investing in research at over 280 universities, 15
national laboratories, and many international research institutions. *We
deliver the premier tools of science to our Nation's science
enterprise*, building and operating major research facilities for open
access by the science community. *We help keep the U.S. at the forefront
of intellectual leadership*, supporting the core capabilities, theories,
experiments, and simulations to advance science.

This FY 2005 budget request will set us on the path toward addressing
the challenges that face our Nation in the 21^st^ Century. SC has
recently released *Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year
Outlook* which sets an ambitious agenda for scientific discovery over
the next two decades. The priorities established in this plan---which is
clearly not a budget document---reflect national priorities set by the
President and the Congress, our commitment to the DOE missions, and the
views of the U.S. scientific community. Pursuing these priorities will
be challenging, but they hold enormous promise for the overall
well-being of all of our citizens. We have recently released an updated
*Office of Science Strategic Plan* that is fully integrated with the
Facilities Plan, the Department's Strategic Plan, and the President's
Management Agenda -- including the R&D Investment Criteria and OMB's
Program Assessment Rating Tool. The FY 2005 budget request begins to
implement these plans.

I am increasingly mindful that the health and vitality of U.S. science
and technology depends upon the availability of the most advanced
research facilities. DOE leads the world in the conception, design,
construction, and operation of these large-scale devices. These machines
have enabled U.S. researchers to make some of the most important
scientific discoveries of the past 70 years, with spin-off technological
advances leading to entirely new industries. More than 19,000
researchers and their students from universities, other government
agencies (including the National Science Foundation and the National
Institutes of Health), private industry, and those from abroad use DOE
facilities each year. These users are growing in both number and
diversity.

Because of the extraordinarily wide range of scientific disciplines
required to support facility users at national laboratories, and the
diversity of mission-driven research supported by the SC, we have
developed an interdisciplinary capability that is extremely valuable to
some of the most important scientific initiatives of the 21^st^ Century.
There is also a symbiotic relationship between research and research
tools. Research efforts advance the capabilities of the facilities and
tools that in turn enable new avenues of research.

Excluding funds used to construct or operate our facilities,
approximately half of our research funding goes to support research at
universities and institutes. Academic scientists and their students are
funded through peer-reviewed grants, and SC's funding of university
research has made it an important source of support for graduate
students and postdoctoral researchers in the physical sciences during
their early careers.

Mindful of the role that the Office of Science plays in supporting the
physical sciences and other key fields, I would now like to briefly
outline some specific investments that we are proposing in the FY 2005
Request.

SCIENCE PROGRAMS

ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING RESEARCH

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$202.3M; FY 2005 Request - \$204.3M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---202.3m-fy-2005-request---204.3m ._H4}

The Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program significantly
advances scientific simulation and computation, applying new approaches,
algorithms, and software and hardware combinations to address the
critical science challenges of the future, and provides access to
world-class, scientific computation and networking facilities to the
Nation's scientific community to support advancements in practically
every field of science and industry. The ASCR budget also supports the
*Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC)* program --- a
set of coordinated investments across all Office of Science mission
areas with the goal of achieving breakthrough scientific advances via
computer simulation that were previously impossible using theoretical or
laboratory studies alone.

The FY 2005 budget request includes \$204.3 million for ASCR to advance
U.S. leadership in high performance supercomputing and networks for
science and to continue to advance the transformation of scientific
simulation and computation into the third pillar of scientific
discovery. The request includes \$38.2 million for the *Next Generation
Computer Architecture (NGA)* research activity, which is part of a
coordinated interagency effort that supports research, development and
evaluation of new architectures for scientific computers that could help
enable continued U.S. leadership in science. Enhancements are supported
for ASCR facilities -- the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and the
National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). The
request also includes \$8.5 million for the new *Atomic to Macroscopic
Mathematics* research effort to provide the research support in applied
mathematics needed to break through the current barriers in our
understanding of complex physical processes*.*

BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$1,010.6M; FY 2005 Request - \$1,063.5M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---1010.6m-fy-2005-request---1063.5m ._H4}

The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program is a principal sponsor of
fundamental research for the Nation in the areas of materials sciences
and engineering, chemistry, geosciences, and bioscience as it relates to
energy. This research underpins the DOE missions in energy, environment,
and national security; advances energy-related basic science on a broad
front; and provides unique user facilities for the scientific community
and industry.

For FY 2005, the Department requests \$1.1 billion for BES including
\$208.6 million to continue to advance nanoscale science through atomic-
and molecular-level studies in materials sciences and engineering,
chemistry, geosciences, and energy biosciences. This supports Project
Engineering Design (PED) and construction of four Nanoscale Science
Research Centers (NSRCs) and a Major Item of Equipment for the fifth and
final NSRC. NSRCs are user facilities for the synthesis, processing,
fabrication, and analysis of materials at the nanoscale. The request
also includes \$80.5 million for construction and \$33.1 million for
other project costs for the Spallation Neutron Source, and \$54.1
million for research, development, PED, and long lead procurement of the
Linac Coherent Light Source, a revolutionary x-ray laser light source.
With these tools, we will be able to understand how the compositions of
materials affect their properties, watch proteins fold, see chemical
reactions, and design matter for desired outcomes.

The FY 2005 budget request also includes \$29.2 million for activities
that support the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. This research
program is based on the BES workshop report *"Basic Research Needs for
the Hydrogen Economy,"* which highlights the enormous gap between our
present capabilities and those required for a competitive hydrogen
economy.

BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$641.5M; FY 2005 Request - \$501.6M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---641.5m-fy-2005-request---501.6m ._H4}

The Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program advances
energy-related biological and environmental research in genomics and our
understanding of complete biological systems, such as microbes that
produce hydrogen; in climate change, including the development of models
to predict climate over decades to centuries; developing science-based
methods for cleaning up environmental contaminants; in radiation
biology, providing regulators with a stronger scientific basis for
developing future radiation protection standards; and in the medical
sciences, by developing new diagnostic and therapeutic tools, technology
for disease diagnosis and treatment, non-invasive medical imaging, and
biomedical engineering such as an artificial retina that will restore
sight to the blind. For FY 2005, the Department requests \$501.6 million
for BER. The FY 2004 appropriation includes \$140.8 million of one-time
Congressionally-directed projects, for which no additional funds are
being requested in FY 2005.

Research on microbes through the *Genomics: GTL* program, addressing DOE
energy and environmental needs, continues to expand from \$63.5 million
in FY 2004 to \$67.5 million in

FY 2005. The request also provides \$5 million for initiation of Project
Engineering Design (PED) activities for the GTL Facility for the
Production and Characterization of Proteins and Molecular Tags, a
facility that will help move the *Genomics: GTL* systems biology
research program to a new level by greatly increasing the rate and
cost-effectiveness with which experiments can be done. DOE, through the
*Genomics: GTL* program, will attempt to use genetic techniques to
harness microbes to consume pollution, create hydrogen, and absorb
carbon dioxide.

FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$262.6M; FY 2005 Request - \$264.1M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---262.6m-fy-2005-request---264.1m ._H4}

The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program advances the theoretical and
experimental understanding of plasma and fusion science, including a
close collaboration with international partners in identifying and
exploring plasma and fusion physics issues through specialized
facilities. This includes: 1) exploring basic issues in plasma science;
2) developing the scientific basis and computational tools to predict
the behavior of magnetically confined plasmas; 3) using the advances in
tokomak research to enable the initiation of the burning plasma physics
phase of the Fusion Energy Sciences program; 4) exploring innovative
confinement options that offer the potential of more attractive fusion
energy sources in the long term; 5) focusing on the scientific issues of
nonneutral plasma physics and High Energy Density Physics; 6) developing
the cutting edge technologies that enable fusion facilities to achieve
their scientific goals; and 7) advancing the science base for innovative
materials to establish the economic feasibility and environmental
quality of fusion energy.

When the President announced that the U.S. would join in the
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project he noted
that "the results of ITER will advance the effort to produce clean,
safe, renewable, and commercially available fusion energy by the middle
of this century." To this end, the Department continues its commitment
to the future of Fusion Energy Science research with a request of
\$264.1 million, slightly above the FY 2004 enacted level. Within that
amount, \$38 million is requested for preparations for ITER in FY 2005,
\$30 million more than in FY 2004. Of this \$38 million, \$7 million is
for scientists and engineers who will support the International Team and
for the qualification of vendors that will supply superconducting cable
for ITER magnets. The remaining \$31 million will be used to support
refocused experiments in our tokamak facilities and for component R&D in
our laboratories and universities that is closely related to our ongoing
program but which is focused on ITER's specific needs. The researchers
and facilities that we support will not be doing less work because of
ITER, but some of their time and effort will be directed to different,
ITER-related, work than they were doing before.

Fabrication continues on the National Compact Stellarator Experiment
(NCSX), an innovative confinement system that is the product of advances
in physics understanding and computer modeling. In addition, work will
be initiated on the *Fusion Simulation Project* that, upon completion,
will provide an integrated simulation and modeling capability for
magnetic fusion energy confinement systems over a 15-year development
period. The Inertial Fusion Energy research program will be redirected
toward high energy density physics research based on recommendations
that will come from the recently established Interagency Task Force on
High Energy Density Physics.

HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$733.6M; FY 2005 Request - \$737.4M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---733.6m-fy-2005-request---737.4m ._H4}

The High Energy Physics (HEP) program advances our understanding of the
basic constituents of matter, including the mysterious dark energy and
dark matter that make up most of the universe; the striking imbalance of
matter and antimatter in the universe, and the possible existence of
other dimensions. Collectively, these investigations will reveal the key
secrets of the birth, evolution, and final destiny of the universe. HEP
expands the energy frontier with particle accelerators to study
fundamental interactions at the highest possible energies, which may
reveal previously unknown particles, forces or undiscovered dimensions
of space and time; explain how everything came to have mass; and
illuminate the pathway to the underlying simplicity of the universe.

For FY 2005, the Department requests \$737.4 million for the HEP
program, an increase from FY 2004. The highest priority in HEP is the
operation, upgrade and infrastructure for the two major HEP user
facilities at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and
the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), to maximize the
scientific data generated.

In 2005, the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) facility will be
complete and the beam line will be commissioned. The FY 2005 budget
request also supports research and design activities for a new Major
Item of Equipment, the BTeV ("B Physics at the TeVatron") experiment at
Fermilab that will extend current investigations, using modern detector
technology to harvest a data sample more than 100 times larger than
current experiments. Research and development work continues in FY 2005
on the proposed Supernova Acceleration Probe (SNAP) experiment for the
DOE/NASA Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM).

NUCLEAR PHYSICS

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$389.6M; FY 2005 Request - \$401M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---389.6m-fy-2005-request---401m ._H4}

The Nuclear Physics (NP) program supports innovative, peer reviewed
scientific research to advance knowledge and provide insights into the
nature of energy and matter, and in particular, to investigate the
fundamental forces which hold the nucleus together, and determine the
detailed structure and behavior of the atomic nuclei. Nuclear science
plays a vital role in studies of astrophysical phenomena and conditions
of the early universe. At stake is a fundamental grasp of how the
universe has evolved, an understanding of the origin of the elements,
and the mechanisms of supernovae core collapse. The program builds and
supports world-leading scientific facilities and state-of-the-art
instruments necessary to carry out its basic research agenda. Scientific
discoveries at the frontiers of Nuclear Physics further the nation's
energy-related research capacity, which in turn provides for the
nation's security, economic growth and opportunities, and improved
quality of life.

The FY 2005 budget request of \$401 million gives highest priority to
exploiting the unique discovery potentials of the facilities at the
Relativistic Heavy ion Collider (RHIC) and Continuous Electron Beam
Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) by increasing operating time by 26%
compared with FY 2004. R&D funding is provided for the proposed Rare
Isotope Accelerator (RIA) and 12 GeV upgrade of CEBAF, which is located
at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

Operations of the MIT/Bates facility will be terminated as planned,
following three months of operations in FY 2005 to complete its research
program. This facility closure follows the transitioning of operations
of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron in FY
2004 from a user facility to a dedicated facility for the testing of
electronic circuit components for use in space (using funds from other
agencies) and a small in-house research program. These resources have
been redirected to better utilize and increase science productivity of
the remaining user facilities and provide for new opportunities in the
low-energy subprogram.

[SCIENCE LABORATORIES INFRASTRUCTURE]{.underline}

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$54.3M; FY 2005 Request - \$29.1M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---54.3m-fy-2005-request---29.1m ._H4}

The Science Laboratories Infrastructure (SLI) program supports SC
mission activities at SC laboratories by addressing needs related to
general purpose infrastructure, excess facilities disposition, Oak Ridge
landlord, health and safety improvements and payment in lieu of taxes
(PILT).

The FY 2005 budget request supports three ongoing line item construction
projects at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Brookhaven National
Laboratory and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and nine projects
to clean-up/remove 84,000 square feet of excess space to reduce
operating costs, and environment, safety and health liabilities, and to
free up land for future use. The request also supports activities to
maintain continuity of operations at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR),
including Federal facilities in the town of Oak Ridge and PILT for local
communities surrounding Oak Ridge. PILT is also provided to communities
surrounding Brookhaven and Argonne East.

We have continued to work cooperatively with the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
teams as they have conducted audits of our laboratories. NRC has
completed its audits; OSHA is expected to complete its audits in
mid-March 2004. The laboratories are preparing cost estimates to meet
the requirements as identified by those agencies, and we plan to provide
this information to Congress by May 31, 2004. Health and safety
improvements to address OSHA- and NRC- identified deficiencies and
recommendations at Office of Science laboratories are expected to be
completed in FY 2004.

[SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY]{.underline}

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$56.7M; FY 2005 Request - \$67.7M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---56.7m-fy-2005-request---67.7m ._H4}

Safeguards and Security activities reflects the Office of Science's
commitment to maintain adequate protection of cutting edge scientific
resources and assets. The FY 2005 budget request includes \$9.8 million
for Pacific Northwest Site Office safeguards and security activities,
which were transferred from the Office of Environmental Management. In
FY 2005, Safeguards and Security will enable the Office of Science
laboratories to meet the requirements of Security Condition 3 level
mandates for the protection of assets. The request also provides the
laboratories with the ability to maintain requirements of increased
Security Condition 2 level for 60 days. The funding includes the
increase needed to meet expectations of the revised Design Basis Threat
approved by the Secretary in May 2003. In addition, critical cyber
security investments will be made to respond to the ever changing cyber
threat.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS AND SCIENTISTS

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$6.4M; FY 2005 Request - \$7.7M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---6.4m-fy-2005-request---7.7m ._H4}

The mission of the Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists
program is to continue the Office of Science's long-standing role of
training young scientists, engineers, and technicians in the
scientifically and technically advanced environments of our National
Laboratories.

The FY 2005 budget request of \$7.7 million provides \$1.5 million for a
*Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development* activity. About 90
participating teachers will gain experience and enhance their skills at
five or more DOE laboratories in response to the national need for
science teachers who have strong content knowledge in the classes they
teach. A new \$500,000 *Faculty Sabbatical Fellowship* activity will
provide sabbatical opportunities for 12 faculty from minority serving
institutions (MSIs). This proposed activity is an extension of the
successful *Faculty and Student Teams* (FaST) program where teams of
faculty members and two or three undergraduate students, from colleges
and universities with limited prior research capabilities, work with
mentor scientists at a National Laboratory to complete a research
project that is formally documented in a paper or presentation.

SCIENCE PROGRAM DIRECTION

## FY 2004 Comparable Appropriation - \$152.6M; FY 2005 Request - \$155.3M {#fy-2004-comparable-appropriation---152.6m-fy-2005-request---155.3m ._H4}

The mission of Science Program Direction is to provide a Federal
workforce, skilled and highly motivated, to manage and support basic
energy and science-related research disciplines, diversely supported
through research programs, projects, and facilities under the Office of
Science's leadership.

Science Program Direction consists of two subprograms: Program Direction
and Field Operations. The Program Direction subprogram is the single
funding source for the SC Federal staff in Headquarters responsible for
directing, administering, and supporting the broad spectrum of
scientific disciplines. This subprogram also includes program planning
and analysis activities which provide the capabilities needed to
evaluate and communicate the scientific excellence, relevance, and
performance of SC basic research programs.

The Field Operations subprogram is the centralized funding source for
the SC Federal workforce in the field who are responsible for providing
business, administrative, and specialized technical support to SC and
other DOE programs. Our service centers in Chicago and Oak Ridge provide
primary support to SC laboratories and facilities, including Ames,
Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory, Fermilab, Princeton Plasma Physics
Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center.

Secretary Abraham approved the Office of Science Restructuring (OneSC)
on January 5, 2004. OneSC was initiated in July 2002 to embrace the
changes envisioned by the President's Management Agenda (PMA) to
accomplish government programs more economically and effectively by
creating a new, more efficient, and productive SC organization. It will
also provide a management environment for SC employees in which their
success and high performance can continue in the face of changing
resources, requirements, and societal needs.

The FY 2005 budget request of \$155.3 million represents a 1.8% increase
over the FY 2004 enacted level. This increase is reflected in salaries
and benefits to support a total SC workforce of 1,014 full-time
equivalents (FTEs). Compared to FY 2004, the FY 2005 request is flat or
lower in our other major budget categories, such as travel, training,
support services, and other related expenses. We will continue to
leverage resources and rely on building good business practices by
streamlining operations, improving financial controls, and reengineering
business processes in support of the PMA and the OneSC structure.

CONCLUSION

The Office of Science occupies a unique and critical role within the
U.S. scientific enterprise. We fund research projects in key areas of
science that our Nation depends upon. We construct and operate major
scientific user facilities that scientists from virtually every
discipline are using on a daily basis, and we manage civilian national
laboratories that are home to some of the best scientific minds in the
world.

Our researchers are working on many of the most daunting scientific
challenges of the 21^st^ Century. These include pushing the frontiers of
the physical sciences through nanotechnology and exploring the key
questions at the intersection of physics and astronomy. We are also
pursuing opportunities at the intersection of the physical sciences, the
life sciences, and scientific computation to understand how the
instructions embedded in genomes control the development of organisms,
with the goal of harnessing the capabilities of microbes and microbial
communities to help us to produce energy, clean up waste, and sequester
carbon from the atmosphere. The Office of Science is also pushing the
state-of-the-art in scientific computation, accelerator R&D, plasma
confinement options and a wide array of other technologies that advance
research capabilities and strengthen our ability to respond to the
rapidly changing challenges ahead.

I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for providing this opportunity to
discuss the SC's research programs and our contributions to the Nation's
scientific enterprise. This concludes my testimony. I would be pleased
to answer any questions you might have.