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| OpenLibrarydotorg |
U.S. Reps. Rush Holt and Rodney Frelinghuysen visited the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory this morning [13 June 2012] to announce that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to restore $76 million in funding for fusion energy research.
The funding, which supports the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab and other energy research laboratories, was not included in President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget request. Without the funding, the lab would face major cutbacks on research projects and staff reductions of up to 100 people, including scientists, engineers, and lab technicians.
“Fusion research is key to America’s energy future, and we are proud to have this important work in New Jersey,” said Holt, who was the assistant director of the lab before his election to Congress. “If you look around us today, you’ll see workers in lab coats, workers in suits, and workers in jeans and hardhats — in other words, a broad cross-section of the New Jersey workforce. All of these jobs, and all of their crucial research, are placed at risk by efforts to cut basic research.”
Helps to have friends/Physics PhDs (Rep Holt) in high places. He is the only one of two trained in physics, with respect to other congressional representatives and senators, few have backgrounds in the sciences. That may explain a lot of inane decisions from the bubble universe/echo chamber called "The Hill."
Link to article: Planet Princeton
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