Biggert Briefs Illinois Delegation on RIA

Washington, DC - U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13) today released a letter sent to Director of the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) Josh Bolton asking the President to include $25 million in his fiscal year 2006 Department of Energy (DOE) budget request to fund the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA). The letter was signed by all 21 members of the Illinois delegation and 15 members of the Michigan delegation.

"Illinois can't win the RIA if there's no money to build RIA," Biggert said. "While some may be focused on the competition between Argonne National Lab and Michigan State University, first things must come first. The one thing upon which members from Illinois and Michigan fully agree is that RIA must go forward," said Biggert, Chairman of the Science Subcommittee on Energy, which has jurisdiction over the authorization of RIA.

Biggert gave an update on the project to members of the Illinois Congressional delegation who met for lunch in the Capitol today.

Operated by the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory in Biggert's suburban Chicago district and Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan are the two bidders expected to compete for the project when the Department of Energy releases a request for proposal (RFP) in the coming months.

RIA will be the world's most powerful research facility dedicated to the production and exploration of new rare isotopes that are not found naturally on Earth. It will enable advancements in nuclear physics, astrophysics, biology, medicine, food safety, environmental protection and restoration. Funding in the FY2006 budget would allow for completion of the conceptual design, development, and environmental analysis activities associated with RIA.

Despite the fact that the President requested only $4 million in fiscal year 2005, Congress appropriated up to $9 million in fiscal year 2005 for the DOE to begin work on the conceptual design report (CDR) for RIA. The current funding request will allow the DOE to complete the CDR, ensuring an uninterrupted planning process that is critical to the success of such a complex project.

RIA is one of the top priorities in the DOE's 20-year science facility plan and is necessary to keep the United States at the forefront of scientific research.
----------------------------
January 26, 2004

The Honorable Josh Bolten
Director
Office of Management and Budget
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
725 - 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20503

Dear Director Bolten:

As you prepare the President's budget for fiscal year 2006, we strongly urge you to include at least $25 million for the Department of Energy (DOE) to complete the conceptual design, development, and environmental analysis activities associated with the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA).

A one-of-a-kind, world-class user facility that will create the world's rarest isotopes, RIA will enable advancements in nuclear physics, astrophysics, biology, medicine, food safety, environmental protection and restoration, as well as science-based stockpile stewardship. As it attracts the best and brightest scientists from around the world, RIA will provide a place to educate and train generations of new scientists and help the U.S. maintain world leadership in these fields. This is a project of national significance that will bolster U.S. competitiveness for decades to come.

On many occasions, the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) has recommended the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) as its highest priority for major new construction, affirming that the science of RIA has been thoroughly reviewed, the cost and schedule estimates for RIA are on a firm basis, and that the user facility is absolutely central to nuclear physics. After identifying RIA as critical to its mission, the DOE ranked RIA as one of the top three priorities in its twenty-year "Facilities for the Future of Science" plan. That is why in October, the DOE issued a draft Request for Proposals, which the Department is finalizing now, for the design, construction, and operation of RIA. The DOE expects to award the contract during calendar year 2005.

Congress appropriated additional funds in fiscal year 2005 for the DOE to begin work on the conceptual design report (CDR). The funding requested in fiscal year 2006 will allow the DOE to complete the CDR, ensuring a coherent and uninterrupted planning process that we know from past experiences is critical to the success of such a complex project. In addition, the timely completion of the CDR and initiation of construction will ensure that cost and schedule estimates remain accurate and that the facility, as currently envisioned, retains its cutting-edge capabilities.

We recognize that the budget is tight, and we understand and appreciate the difficult decisions you will have to make this year. However, we strongly encourage you to invest in infrastructure like the Rare Isotope Accelerator, which will ensure America's continued scientific leadership, and therefore improve our health, our economy, and our national security in the decades to come.

Thank you for your consideration. We are committed and prepared to work with you to make the RIA project a reality. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can do to be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Judy Biggert
Member of Congress

J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House

Richard J. Durbin
Senator

John Shimkus
Member of Congress

Bobby Rush
Member of Congress

Barack Obama
Senator

Rahm Emanuel
Member of Congress

Jerry Weller
Member of Congress

Timothy Johnson
Member of Congress

Daniel Lipinski
Member of Congress

Lane Evans
Member of Congress

Ray LaHood
Member of Congress

Melissa Bean
Member of Congress

Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress

Danny K. Davis
Member of Congress

Mark Kirk
Member of Congress

Luis Gutierrez
Member of Congress

Donald A. Manzullo
Member of Congress

Henry Hyde
Member of Congress

Jerry Costello
Member of Congress

Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
Member of Congress

Candice Miller
Member of Congress

Peter Hoekstra
Member of Congress

Mike Rogers
Member of Congress

Vern Ehlers
Member of Congress

Debbie Stabenow
Senator

Carl Levin
Senator

John Dingell
Member of Congress

Dale Kildee
Member of Congress

John Knollenberg
Member of Congress

Sander Levin
Member of Congress

Carolyn Kilpatrick
Member of Congress

Thaddeus McCotter
Member of Congress

David Camp
Member of Congress

John J.H. "Joe" Schwarz
Member of Congress

Fred Upton
Member of Congress

cc: The Honorable Samuel W. Bodman, Secretary of Energy

The Honorable John H. Marburger, III, PhD, Senior Advisor to the President and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy

The Honorable Raymond L. Orbach, PhD, Director, Office of Science, Department of Energy

http://judybiggert.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=461