Call For Basic Energy Research

A petition delivered last week to both presidential campaigns calls on the next president to propose and implement a comprehensive energy research initiative. The petition was endorsed by a broad coalition of members of the scientific community including universities, national labs, and industry leaders. At a Sept. 17 press conference, members of the scientific community discussed the vital role that basic research plays in solving America's energy crisis. The group called for funding increases for basic research at the Department of Energy's Office of Science, NSF, Department of Defense, and other research funding agencies for fiscal 2009. "I believe that aggressive support of energy science and technology, coupled with incentives that accelerate the development and deployment of innovative solutions, can transform the entire landscape of energy demand and supply," said Physics Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.