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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2009 |
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Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office) |
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HOLT ANNOUNCES $13.8 MILLION IN RECOVERY
FUNDING FOR PRINCETON PLASMA PHYSICS LAB
Funding Will Support Fusion Energy Research, Infrastructure Improvements
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(Washington, DC) - U.S. Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12) today announced that the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) will receive $13.8 million in new federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding, released by the Department of Energy today, includes $8.8 million for a variety of initiatives in fusion energy research and $5 million for infrastructure improvements at the lab.
“This is a great example of a Recovery project that will save and create jobs in the short term and foster economic growth in the long term,” said Holt, who was the Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory from 1989 to 1998. “The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is the premier lab for U.S. fusion research, and I’m pleased it has received additional funding to continue its important research into this clean renewable energy technology.”
In February, Holt worked with Congressional leaders to include $22 billion of new funding for science research and facilities in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will support the repair of outdated research labs, the manufacture of new scientific instruments, the education of bright graduate students, and the acceleration of projects that save energy and create new sources of energy. All of these projects would provide jobs not just to scientists but to research assistants, electricians who wire labs, technicians who run instruments, and construction workers who will renovate the buildings.
"We are pleased that stimulus funding is being made available for Princeton's fusion energy research program,” said PPPL Director Stewart Prager. “The additional research capabilities enabled by this funding will accelerate the advancement of understanding in plasma science, fusion science, and fusion technology, which form the knowledge base needed for an economically and environmentally attractive fusion energy source."
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary announced today $327 million in new funding, including $107.5 million for universities, nonprofit organizations, and private firms, based on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis. The remaining $220 million will go to U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories for a range of research, instrumentation, and infrastructure projects, including $164.7 million for projects already allocated, including the $13.8 million for research and infrastructure improvements at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
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