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.
