ISSUE: Science Research Budgets

Since floor approval of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science appropriations bill in June, the full House has acted on funding bills for NSF ($6.02B; +7.8% over FY06), NIST core programs ($0.47B; +18%); DOD basic research ($1.56B; +6.1%), DOD applied research ($5.25B; +1.5%), and NASA Science ($5.41B; +3%). The Senate Appropriations Committee has also passed the bills funding DOE Office of Science ($4.24B), NSF ($5.99B), NIST core programs ($.47B), DOD basic research ($1.48B), DOD applied research ($4.81B), and NASA Science ($5.40B), but the full Senate has yet to vote. It is widely anticipated that many of these funding bills will not see final action until after the November elections.

The proposed funding levels for DOE Office of Science, NSF, and NIST core programs are generally consistent with the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) request.

For details of the FY07 budget process, go to http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/fy07.htm

ISSUE: Interim Nuclear Waste Storage Study

The APS Panel on Public Affairs Nuclear Energy Study Group met on August 8th and 9th to examine technical and programmatic issues associated with the centralized interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. The study group received briefings by representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), DOE, and the nuclear industry, as well as Congressional staff and independent experts. The study group report is expected to be available by mid-November. The members of the study group are Roger Hagengruber (Co-Chair), John Ahearne (Co-Chair), Robert J. Budnitz, Margaret Chu, Kevin Crowley, Richard Meserve, Ernest J. Moniz, Burton Richter, Frank Von Hippel, and Francis Slakey.

ISSUE: POPA Electricity Storage Study

The APS Panel on Public Affairs Electricity Storage Study Group held a workshop on August 14th and 15th to examine the technical issues associated with electricity storage. Technology experts provided briefings on the current status of the technologies used for electricity storage. In addition, representatives from industry, DOE, and the utilities sector briefed the study group on the implementation and current status of electricity

ISSUE: Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW)

The Nuclear Weapons Complex Assessment Committee (NWCAC), in which the APS is informally participating, had its second meeting at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The NWCAC received both classified and unclassified briefings on the technical issues associated with the proposed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). A report is anticipated to be completed by early next year.


©1995 - 2024, AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.

Editor: Alan Chodos
Contributing Editor: Jennifer Ouellette
Staff Writer: Ernie Tretkoff

October 2006 (Volume 15, Number 9)

APS News Home

Issue Table of Contents

APS News Archives

Contact APS News Editor


Articles in this Issue
Cherry A. Murray Elected New APS Vice President
New Program Extends Open Access Offerings of APS Journals
War Disrupts Mideast Physics Communities
Sprouse To Succeed Blume as APS Editor‑in‑Chief
APS Members Now Have Easy Access to Network of Experts
Treasurer Looks to Keep Journals Healthy in Challenging Environment
Boom! Goes the Bridge
All Liquids Banned from Airlines!
Letters
Viewpoint
The Back Page
Members in the Media
This Month in Physics History
Physics and Technology Forefronts
International News
Washington Dispatch