Gov. Blagojevich Urges
President Bush to Restore Funding to Fermilab, Argonne National
Laboratory
Hundreds of Jobs in Jeopardy Under Bush Budget Cuts
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[January 09, 2008]
CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich sent a letter to the president
on Tuesday asking him to reverse his decision to cut funding from
Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory, two of the most important research centers in the
nation, located in Illinois. The governor pointed out that the cuts
could limit opportunities for future scientific research and
development in the United States. The cuts are the result of an
omnibus bill, signed by the president, that included a dramatically
reduced budget for the Department of Energy.
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"Yesterday, as you visited Chicago, you toured Greeley Elementary
School and saw firsthand the success we've had in promoting math-
and science-based education. Ironically, because of major funding
reductions to some of the nation's leading research facilities
within the Department of Energy's budget, the students you saw today
may have a hard time starting a technical or scientific career in
Illinois," the governor wrote.
"The omnibus spending bill you recently signed could cause
dramatic funding cuts at Argonne National Laboratory, one of the
nation's largest and most important research centers. In addition to
these cuts, the bill includes significant cuts to Illinois' other
federal research facility, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory,"
Blagojevich said in his letter. "Without adequate federal funding,
hundreds of people will lose their jobs, while the United States
will risk falling behind in science and technology leadership."
Prior to the start of the holidays, Congress passed an omnibus
spending bill that dramatically reduced the amount of funding
appropriated to the Department of Energy. As a result, Argonne
announced it will shut down the Intense Pulse Neutron Source. At the
IPNS, scientists work to determine the composition of plastics and
other soft materials. It is one of the most productive facilities of
its kind in the world.
Argonne is also home to the Advanced Photon Source, the nation's
brightest X-ray. The APS is used by many scientists, including those
conducting research for chemical and pharmaceutical firms. Although
the APS will not be shut down, operating schedules will be limited.
The full extent of Argonne's layoffs will not be immediately known.
Fermilab has already announced that 10 percent of employees could
be laid off due to the cuts, which will severely limit operations,
halting work on a number of innovative projects. Officials are doing
what they can to avert the layoffs, but the lack of federal funding
will severely limit the facility's contributions to the science
industry.
Last August, President Bush signed the America Competes Act,
which increased funding toward research in order to ensure that the
United States remains a global leader in scientific research. Even
though the amount of funding was eventually reduced, it was still
higher than the amount designated for this year. Blagojevich is
asking the president to fully fund both laboratories for the rest of
this fiscal year in addition to fiscal 2009.
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The text of the governor's letter follows:
Dear President Bush,
Yesterday, as you visited Chicago, you toured Greeley Elementary
School and saw first hand the success we've had in promoting math
and science based education. Ironically, because of major funding
reductions to some of the nation's leading research facilities
within the Department of Energy's budget, the students you saw today
may have a hard time starting a technical or scientific career in
Illinois.
The omnibus spending bill that you recently signed could cause
dramatic funding cuts at Argonne National Laboratory, one of the
nation's largest and most important research centers. In addition to
these cuts, the bill includes significant cuts to Illinois' other
federal research facility, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
These two institutions put Illinois and the United States at the
forefront of scientific research. Without adequate federal funding,
hundreds of people will lose their jobs while the United States will
risk falling behind in science and technology leadership.
Last August you signed the America Competes Act, which authorized
significant increases in funding in America's research potential.
This bill was passed with bipartisan support in response to concerns
that the country is falling behind in scientific and technology
leadership. I urge you to make good on this commitment.
Please restore full funding for Argonne National Laboratory and
the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for the remainder of this
fiscal year and in your FY2009 budget proposal.
Sincerely,
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor of Illinois
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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