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January 30, 2003
Remarks By
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham
All Hands Meeting
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton, New Jersey
I am here today at the Department's Princeton Plasma
Physics Lab to thank you all for the spectacular work
you are doing to advance the promise of fusion energy,
to thank you for your devotion to a very difficult scientific
enterprise, and to thank you for putting your remarkable
talents to work for the public good.
Your work couldn't be more important.
Over the lifetime of a child born today, the demand
for energy will more than triple from what it is today.
Most of that growth will take place in the developing
world. And if fusion power proves practical, it will
kick in at the right time. It will be there to meet
the increasing need for large scale sources of clean
energy around the world.
That defines the promise of fusion. And it points to
its great benefits.
Fusion power produces no troublesome emissions, it is
safe, and has few, if any, proliferation concerns. It
creates no long term waste problems and runs on fuel
readily available to all nations. Moreover, fusion plants
could produce hydrogen â?¦ our ultimate
freedom fuel â?¦ to power hundred of millions
of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. and abroad.
So I want to acknowledge the strides you've made in
developing this new energy source. But I also want to
tell you that your task has just gotten bigger â?¦
and more important than ever.
As everyone here knows, American science leads the world.
Innovation, the willingness to take chances, the free
and open exchange of ideas -- these are just some of
the things that help propel American research. And I
know - with certainty -- that we will continue this
leadership role. We will never accept second best in
science.
But science in the 21st Century is often a global effort.
Time and again, homegrown scientific discoveries turn
out to be not so homegrown after all. Often, international
cooperation is indispensable to achieving results.
We have followed this course with our advanced nuclear
power program, which is developing the next major improvement
in nuclear reactors we call Generation-IV.
Fusion energy is no different. Princeton, our other
DOE labs, the university community and American industry,
have pushed fusion research far beyond what many thought
possible and made the prospects of fusion power credible.
Now is the time to expand our scope and embrace international
efforts to realize the promise of fusion energy.
Now it is time to take the next step on the way to having
fusion deliver electricity to the grid.
The President has decided to take that step.
Therefore, I am pleased to announce today, that President
Bush has decided that the United States will join the
international negotiations on ITER.
Today's decision is a logical extension of the President's
National Energy Policy, which called on the Department
to develop next-generation technology - including fusion.
ITER will help us do just that â?¦ for
it has a clear objective â?¦ to demonstrate
the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion
energy.
ITER will help answer tough questions about fusion power.It
will advance both the science and technology of fusion
by opening the way to a vast array of critical experiments.
And it will produce industrial levels of fusion power
for long durations.
So, let me commend the efforts of our allies who have
been working on ITER up to this point. All of us recognize
the possibilities fusion power offers to feed the energy
needs of growing economies around the world.
And we know that this experiment is a crucial element
in the path forward to satisfying global energy demand.
As with all important scientific undertakings, there
is no guarantee of success. We will no doubt encounter
roadblocks. Experiments will fail. But there is something
also true about science â?¦ failure is
often more fruitful than success. When you start on
one path of discovery, you may end up on another more
promising, more fascinating, and more rewarding road.
President Bush has faith in American science.And he
knows the huge energy challenges â?¦ for
the United States and for the world â?¦
that fusion science seeks to tackle.
And let me tell you, he is not one for taking baby steps
when leaps are called for.
By the time our young children reach middle age, fusion
may begin to deliver energy independence â?¦
and energy abundance â?¦to all nations
rich and poor. Fusion is a promise for the future we
must not ignore.
But let me be clear, our decision to join ITER in no
way means a lesser role for the fusion programs we undertake
here at home. It is imperative that we maintain and
enhance our strong domestic research program - at Princeton,
at the universities and at our other labs. Critical
science needs to be done in the U.S., in parallel with
ITER, to strengthen our competitive position in fusion
technology.
So as optimistic as I am, our success in ITER will depend,
in no small measure, on what we do in the United States.
And Princeton is the ideal place to come to launch our
international fusion efforts. You have a well deserved
reputation for innovative research and highly professional
management of resources.
I just came from presenting a plaque recognizing your
outstanding accomplishments with the Tokamak Fusion
Test Reactor. It's not often that you can produce the
highest temperatures ever seen in a laboratory - some
thirty times hotter than the center of the sun -- and
yet, no one burned as much as a finger tip on that plasma.
For me, the science was clearly impressive. But just
as impressive was what you did when the science was
over. The experiment was shut down and cleaned up â?¦
safely, on time and under budget.
Bringing together the best basic science with the best
management is not easy. Princeton does that and it is
a model for all our DOE labs.
Let me congratulate all of you on a job well done.
You are continuing that tradition of great science and
great management with the National Spherical Torus Experiment,
which I saw earlier today. Again, I was struck by the
technology you've employed and the skill you've shown
in managing the taxpayers' money.
Both of these experiments â?¦ and much
more that you are doing at the lab â?¦
put us in a position to take full advantage of the science
which will emerge from ITER.
The Department is exploring the full range of approaches
to generating energy through fusion. Princeton, along
with our other great national labs -- Oak Ridge, Lawrence
Berkeley, Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore are joined
by university researchers from some 30 states, making
fusion science a truly national effort.
Many times when I have the chance to talk about science
at DOE, I have to explain why basic research finds a
home at a Department called Energy. In fact, we might
well be called the Department of Energy and Science
given the importance of our role in American and indeed
international science.
And the reason we are so deeply involved in science
is simple. Our mission here at DOE â?¦
as I have stressed since becoming Secretary â?¦
is national security.
And in my view, a serious commitment to national security
demands a serious commitment to science, especially
basic research.
This commitment strengthens our energy security, international
competitiveness, economic growth and intellectual leadership.
Let me give you a few examples.
We were able to deliver cutting-edge detection devices
after 9/11 to help secure the Winter Olympics because
DOE funded biologists, chemists, and others were doing
basic research for years before these devices were critically
needed. Our scientists are working today in our Genomes
to Life Program to sequence the DNA of major toxins,
which will lead to better detection and decontamination.And
our scientists are looking for better ways to sense
and track radiological materials.
Moreover, if we ever hope to leapfrog today's energy
challenges we must look to basic research. The kind
of basic research you are doing here at the Princeton
Lab.
DOE is really a special place for science. We are willing
to take risks on research, knowing that experiments
at the cutting edge can lead in unexpected directions.
You see this every day.
Still, few appreciate that fusion and plasma physics
research have led, for example, to more efficient superconductors,
better engines for satellites, more advanced MRIs and
other diagnostic equipment that perform medical miracles,
and revolutionary new coatings to improve performance
of automobile and aircraft parts.
Let me also say that I am truly impressed by your education
programs. This could not be more important. I'm sure
we all have noticed how interested young people are
in science and how adept they are with technology. But
something seems to happen to divert this enthusiasm
of childhood, because we are all aware of the truly
tragic state of science education in America. We need
to correct this.
The success of science depends on an influx of new,
young people into every field. That's just not happening
today.We are working to correct that. We are working
on initiatives to support teacher training at our labs
and I want to commend the fine progress you are making
here at Princeton. Certainly an exciting new initiative
in fusion energy will help motivate more students to
pursue careers in science.
Finally, let me stress how proud I am of the contribution
you have made to science in America. As someone living
on a government paycheck myself, I know the sacrifices
that public service can entail. Many of you, I'm sure,
could find more lucrative careers in the private sector.
So I want to be sure you understand how much the President
and I personally appreciate your decision to serve this
nation.
The President has made a historic decision to take a
major step toward realizing the promise of fusion energy.
He is looking to the Department of Energy and to the
genius, commitment, and the passion for excellence found
in our national labs and universities to help achieve
this goal.
Make no mistake. This commitment represents a critical
moment for fusion science. The initiative is now with
us. We cannot control what the science will tell us.
But we can seize this opportunity to push the bounds
of research further and faster than anyone could have
dreamed. The President is confident that we are up to
this challenge.
Thank you all very much.
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