CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS MAKE PUSH FOR ADDITIONAL NIF FUNDING

More than two dozen California lawmakers are appealing to Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein to increase the budget for the National Ignition Facility, though it’s unlikely that Feinstein will come to the rescue of the program. In a reflection of a shift away from “ignition” shots in the wake of last year’s failed attempt to reach the ignition milestone, the Administration requested $329 million for the facility in Fiscal Year 2014, a cut of approximately $80 million from its request a year ago. The lawmakers, led by Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), said the cuts could result in the loss of 500 scientists and engineers, and appealed to Feinstein to provide $486.8 million for the facility: $393.8 million for operations at the facility and $93 million for the Inertial Confinement Fusion campaign at Livermore. “Considering our national security threats and limited domestic energy sources, this is no time to be cutting its capabilities,” the lawmakers wrote in a May 10 letter. “Unfortunately, jobs at NIF have already been cut and capacity curtailed because of reductions in FY 2013 and the sequester. But, the Administration’s proposal could make the situation much worse.” Feinstein, however, has supported the Administration’s efforts to shift away from ignition shots while it reassesses the path forward for ignition, and it’s not likely that the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee will significantly increase funds for NIF.