Fueling America’s Future: Science Coalition, Innovation Task Force Call for Broad, Coordinated Commitment to Energy Research

“If one advance could transform America’s prospects, it would be having a range of clean, renewable, low-carbon energy technologies, ready to power our cars, our buildings and our industries at scale while creating jobs and protecting the planet,” MIT President Susan Hockfield told a crowded room at the National Press Club on September 17.  “If we want to own those future technologies, there is only one path: research.”

Hockfield was part of a panel of business, academic and scientific leaders who called for a broad, coordinated commitment to basic energy research and a significantly increased public investment in research in order to cut through the “triple knot” of difficult problems facing the country.  These include a shaky economy adversely affected by volatile energy prices; a geopolitical situation complicated by energy and security issues; and concerns about climate change. 

The other participants in the event included: Uma Chowdhry, Senior Vice President and Chief Science and Technology Officer of DuPont; Steven Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and David Bell, President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Intersil Corporation.  The participants represent various parts of the innovation chain, and each brought a different point of view to the urgent problem of funding basic energy research. 

“Some people claim we have all the technologies needed to cure our addiction to oil and decrease the world’s carbon emissions in an expanding global economy.  I disagree,” Chu said.  “Our country needs to act quickly with fiscal and regulatory policies to insure widespread deployment of effective technologies that maximize energy efficiency and minimize carbon emissions.”

While the speakers encouraged the development of an energy research “roadmap” to guide the next administration in comprehensively and successfully tackling the energy challenge, they also warned that immediate action is necessary.  They urged the current President and Congress to act immediately to provide funding increases in FY 2009 for basic research at the Department of Energy Office of Science, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and other agencies that fund important energy research programs.

“The first step Congress must take is to fully fund the America COMPETES legislation and do so before they go home.  The increased funding for basic research … will go a long way in helping us solve our energy challenges while providing new solutions,” Bell said.

View a web cast from the September 17 event.

Read media commentary resulting from the event.