Remarks As Prepared for Delivery by Secretary Bodman
Thank you, Tom for that kind introduction. And I want to commend you, Norm Augustine and Chuck Vest for your continued leadership on these issues. You are powerful voices for urgent and sustained action to preserve this nation's technological preeminence - and our economic competitiveness.
It's a pleasure to be here with you all, and with my good friends Margaret and Carlos. It strikes me that we are in the fortunate position of "preaching to the choir" today. After all, there are few things we care more passionately about than the need to strengthen America's position in the world through constant innovation. But just because we're here with a friendly audience - something we're not always accustomed to in Washington - does not diminish the urgency of our message.
For, whether we're in the private sector, academia, the non-profit world or government, we all have a responsibility to make the case for the power of innovation to address our most pressing challenges - be they to our countrywide security, our health and well-being, or our economic competitiveness.
To do this we must focus across the innovation spectrum . . . it is investment in the entire research enterprise that will ensure that our nation stays on the right path . . . a path of leadership, not just one of "getting by" or worse still, of catching up. As the original "Gathering Storm" report acknowledged, perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the energy arena.
I don't have to remind you of the challenges we face: rapidly growing global demand for energy, along with rising prices. And these demand pressures will only increase with time. The International Energy Agency estimates that the world's primary energy needs will grow by over 50% by 2030. At the same time, we must develop and commercialize cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy.
These are our twin challenges: improving global energy security in a way that allows all nations of the world to prosper; and addressing global climate change.
But the fact is, current technologies are not adequate to help us meet them. And incremental enhancements will not suffice. We need transformational discoveries - breakthroughs that truly change the nature of our thinking and fundamentally alter how we produce, deliver and use energy. Our success in this effort will require massive global investment - at all stages of the energy cycle - and over many years.
President Bush understands this, of course. 2 years ago he suggested the American Competitiveness Initiative, which included dramatic increases in federal backing for basic research, particularly in the physical sciences. As you know, among other things, the President called for doubling the budget of the Energy Department's Office of Science over 10 years. In 2007, Congress passed legislation that supported this doubling goal, and the President signed it. But quite unfortunately, Congress has not chosen to fully fund it. I know that earlier today you heard from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who clearly understand this, and we will continue to work closely with them and others. But, collectively, we must get everyone on board to translate this support into substantial and sustained budget commitments.
At the Energy Department, we have not seen the significant increases in our science budget that we've requested and that we strongly believe is needed. While we do appreciate the Congressional support we've received for some programs, nearly flat appropriation levels means we have had to cancel new initiatives, declining over 700 new proposals directed at energy research. And appropriations growth below the rate of inflation means a reduction in the number of the number of scientists and amount of basic research the nation can support. And this means lost opportunities for our nation.
Norm Augustine's recent Countrywide Academies report entitled "Is America Falling Off the Flat Earth?" contains a chapter called: "The Dinosaurs Never Saw It Coming." Norm has a way of crystallizing the problems we face, doesn't he? He noted: "we are slipping perilously closer to the flat earth's edge . . . we are eating our seed corn." Our current backing trajectory for the physical sciences - as Norm put it - has produced a crisis "that provides no sudden, dramatic, warning," but instead "a gradual, albeit accelerating, erosion." And so I strongly encourage the Congress to fully fund our science request for FY2009 and get us on track for a doubling of resources.
Now, all that being said, I would also tell you that we are making good progress on tackling our nation's energy challenges. I often summarize our strategy this way: we must diversify our energy sources, we must diversify our suppliers, and we must diversify our supply routes. And this must be done in ways that are more efficient, cleaner, sustainable, and secure.
In all areas - from developing and deploying renewable energy technologies . . . to producing conventional fossil fuels more cleanly . . . to increasing our energy efficiency - our basic research efforts are absolutely crucial . . . they are the building blocks, if you will, of our future energy security.
And, quite frankly, this is a uniquely government function. Though this has not always been the case, today basic research in the physical sciences depends almost entirely on federal funding. At present, we are deploying close to $4 billion a year for basic science research. And our $4.7 billion science request for FY 2009 reflects this Administration's commitment to sustaining these vital investments. We will continue to depend on the power of science and engineering to push back the boundaries of what is possible.
And here is the 2nd key point: if we are to confront this challenge now, we in government simply must continue to attract top talent into our ranks. The urgency of this need is exacerbated by the fact that in the next few years we will begin to see a large number of talented federal employees retiring from civil service.
A few weeks ago I spent some time at my alma mater, MIT. I had lunch with a group of about 40 students who are particularly interested in energy-related research and policy. And based on that meeting - and on visits to other universities - my general sense is that there is a real enthusiasm out there among young people who care passionately about solving our nation's energy challenges. They see this as an area of great global need. They see the federal government as a place to make a contribution. And they're willing to make some sacrifices - say, in terms of salary - to be part of it.
But our ability to attract and retain them at the Energy Department cannot depend solely on their goodwill. It is directly related to our ability to fund them. And it is not only the level of backing - and its strategic and wise application - that matters, but also the consistency and timeliness of it, as well as on reducing the complexity of federal hiring processes.
We also need to do a better job of working with the academic community - many of you in the audience - to ensure that you have the information you need to encourage your students to pursue opportunities in government service.
Collectively, this is our challenge: how can we take advantage of this groundswell of interest and enthusiasm and attract and retain talent at the federal level?
We are thinking hard about these issues at the Energy Department - our senior leadership team is very engaged, and we're putting some creative programs in place. We are increasing our presence on university campuses. We are pursuing programs that give students rotational assignments so that they might explore a variety of government opportunities. We are backing fellowships and internships.
To encourage further collaboration, we've suggested a new initiative: Energy Frontier Research Centers, an effort to engage the nation's intellectual and creative talent - from universities, Countrywide Laboratories, industry, and non-profits - to work together to tackle the scientific challenges associated with transformative energy research. And we've announced a new set of awards for single-investigators and small-group research which are well-suited for university faculty, post-doctorates, and students.
We are open to other ideas as well. And we need your help and support. Because, though I do believe we're making progress, we can and should do more - all of us: in the academic community, the private sector and all levels of government.
From where I sit, the stakes could not be higher. We are quite literally at the center of an historic effort to make our energy supplies cleaner, more diverse, more affordable and more secure.
Getting there will not be easy - this is hard work . . . but, together, I believe we will do it. I have tremendous faith in this country, in our scientists and engineers, and in our ability to come together, to innovate and to lead . . . and I know you do as well.
Thank you.
