Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2007

Schumer, Clinton Announce Key Senate Panel Approves $290.5 Million For Brookhaven National Laboratory

Senators Worked Closely With Committee To Include $290.5 Million Funding In Spending Bill

Funding will go toward the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, National Synchotron Light Source II, Center for Functional Nanomaterials and the National Synchotron Light Source

Bill will now be sent to the Senate Floor

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved $290.5 million in funding for the national and international user facilities at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The funds will go toward the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), National Synchotron Light Source II (NSLS II), Center for Functional Nanomaterials and National Synchotron Light Sourc (NSLS) programs at Brookhaven under the FY08 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The bill will now proceed to the Senate Floor for approval.

“For over fifty years, Brookhaven National Laboratory has produced cutting-edge scientific work that benefits all Americans and brings jobs and economic vitality to Long Island,” said Schumer. “These new funds will allow Brookhaven to continue to push the barriers of scientific knowledge and will keep Long Island a thriving center of innovation.”

“After years of fighting the Administration to fully fund Brookhaven National Labs I am pleased that our Senate colleagues have once again seen the incredible value in their work. Brookhaven National Labs have continually proven their invaluable worth to the scientific community and to Long Island’s economy and I am very pleased that we can continue to support them in this way,” Senator Clinton said. “This is a facility of national and international significance that deserves our support and we will keep fighting to ensure that it gets the funding it needs.”

Brookhaven National Laboratory, established in 1947 and located in Upton, Long Island, is operated by Brookhaven Science Associates for the United States Department of Energy. Brookhaven’s staff of over 3,000 scientists, engineers and technicians specializes in nuclear physics research and has received numerous Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking work.

All of the funds approved for Brookhaven National Laboratories come through the Department of Energy, and include money for the:

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. $162.1 million in funding will go toward RHIC in order to provide at least 30 weeks of operating time for optimum benefit for the physics research output, as well as research and construction upgrades. DOE has invested over $1 billion in RHIC, which began operating in 2000 and has already contributed significant discoveries to the scientific community.

National Synchotron Light Source II (NSLS II). $65 million in funding will be used for research, planning, engineering and design construction costs for the NSLA-II. Design and research began this year, and the new facility is set to be operational in 2013. This scientific user facility is expected to reinforce U.S. scientific leadership, giving researchers a competitive advantage in numerous scientific fields that will benefit our nation’s economy.

National Synchotron Light Source (NSLS). $43.5 million in funding will go towards operating costs for the NSLS. When the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences recognized the need for "second generation" electron synchrotrons dedicated to the production of light, it budgeted construction funding for Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), beginning in fiscal year 1978. Ground was broken for the NSLS on September 28, 1978, and the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ring began operations in late 1982, while the x-ray ring was commissioned in 1984.

Center for Functional Nanomaterials. $19.9 million in funding will go toward for operations costs for the Center. The Center provides state-of-the-art capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions. The CFN is one of five nanoscale science research centers funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Now that the bill has been approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee, it will be sent to the Senate floor. Following approval by the Senate, the bill will move towards Conference with the House and then to the President for signature.

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