As the US begins to roll out its fiscal 2010 appropriations, IBO takes a look at the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budgets. Currently, seven appropriation bills are still being voted on by the Senate or are in conference. These departments are operating at fiscal 2009 funding levels under a continuing resolution set to end December 18.

The DOE budget for fiscal 2010 increased 1.2% to $27.1 billion. The budget for the DOE’s Office of Science (OS) rose 2.7% to $4.9 billion, excluding the $555.4 million added to the DOE’s fiscal 2009 budget through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding (see IBO 6/15/09). The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) budget increased 2.3% to $2.2 billion, excluding the $43.4 million in additional funding from the ARRA.

According to the OS, the fiscal 2010 OS budget will support research conducted by approximately 25,000 students and 24,000 researchers at universities, national laboratories and by industry. The OS, which currently funds research at 300 academic institutions and 10 DOE national laboratories, received $127.6 million for Science Laboratories Infrastructure, an 11.9% increase. Part of the funding will support three new projects. The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory received $6.9 million to construct a research support building and modernize three existing facilities. Argonne National Laboratory was given $10 million for a new Energy Sciences Building, which will replace older research space. Brookehaven National Lab (BNL) was allotted $5 million for laboratory modernization for its physics and chemistry buildings. Funding for ongoing projects includes $39.4 million for the construction of a interdisciplinary science building at BNL, which will focus on high-accuracy energy R&D. In addition, OS earmarks include $4 million for the purchase of cancer research equipment at Kansas University, and $3 million for therapeutic antibody and vaccine R&D at the University of North Dakota.

Research programs within the OS include Basic Energy Sciences (BES). BES funding increased 4.1% to $1.6 billion, and will support DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers, fundamental energy sciences, and single investigators and small groups. The budget for the DOE’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR) increased 31.3% to $22 million. EPSCOR supports basic research in states that have historically received less federal research funding. The BES budget also removed the limit of grants awarded to a single researcher per EPSCOR request and increased the maximum award to $2.5 million.

The OS also supports the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program. Funding for the BER program rose 0.5% to $604.2 million. In fiscal 2010, BER will focus its research on systems biology, radiochemistry, climate science and subsurface biogeochemistry. Funding for the Biological Systems Science subprogram, which conducts living-systems research, decreased 1.3% to $318.5 million. Funding for the BER’s Climate and Environmental Sciences subprogram grew 2.5% to $285.7 million. BER will also support three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers, the Joint Genome Institute, and operating costs and capital equipment for the Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory.

Other OS programs of note include High Energy Physics (HEP) and Nuclear Physics (NP). The HEP program conducts particle acceleration and particle detection research. HEP funding increased 2.0% to $810.5 million, while R&D funding for HEP advanced technology decreased 2.2% to $183.0 million. NP’s budget supports basic nuclear physics research at over 85 academic institutions and nine of the DOE national laboratories. According to the OS, isotope research will be a major activity for the NP in 2010, with at least $19.2 million in funding.

The DOE’s EERE funds hydrogen, biofuel and solar energy research. The $174 million budget for Hydrogen Technology (previously known as Fuel Cell Technology) research increased 3.0%. Hydrogen Technology funds will be used to support new contracts and 190 existing contracts. Biomass and Biorefinery Systems R&D increased 1.3% to $220.0 million. Of this funding, at least $35.0 million will be used for algae biofuel R&D and deployment. This year, the DOE reorganized the EERE’s Solar program, creating separate Photovoltaic Research and Concentrated Solar Power research subprograms. Overall, the solar energy program budget increased 29.2% to $225.0 million. Additionally, EERE Facilities and Infrastructure funding included $5.0 million for general capital equipment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The 11.7% increase in the total USDA budget for fiscal 2010 led to a 6.7% increase in agricultural research funding to $2.8 billion, according to the US Committees on Appropriations report. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) are the two main research-funding arms of the USDA. The ARS is the primary research agency of the USDA, focusing on areas such as food safety and crop production. The ARS Buildings and Facilities funding received the highest percentage increase in the USDA budget this year, as it grew by 51.6% to $70.9 million. Individual ARS programs also received increased funding. Environmental Stewardship funding, which supports developing technologies for land and water sustainability, and Grain Disease Research funding increased 1.1% and 7.1% to $236.3 million and $91.2 million, respectively.

Funding for NIFA’s Research and Education Activities (REA) program increased 11.5% to $788.2 million. The REA supports agricultural research at universities and includes funding for the Hatch Act and the Agricultural and Food Resolution Initiative. Funding for the Hatch Act, which supports research at State Agricultural Experiment stations, grew 9.8% to $215.0 million. The Agricultural and Food Research Initiative, formerly known as the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants, provides competitive agricultural grants for both basic and applied research in areas including food safety, nutrition and agriculture technology development. Funding for the Initiative increased 30.3% to $262.5 million. According to NIFA, 60% of Initiative funding is used for basic research and 40% is used for applied research.

For fiscal 2010, the DHS’s budget increased 6.6% to $42.8 billion. The DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) budget rose 7.9% to $1.0 billion for research on homeland security priorities, such as explosives devices, cyber and first-responder technologies. Funding for S&T research programs increased 7.8% to $863.3 million, of which $150.2 million will be used to fund laboratory facility programs and construction, a 6.9% decrease. The Southeast Research Initiative at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was a big winner for facility funding, receiving $20.9 million for security technologies development. In addition, $12.0 million was allotted for ongoing construction at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for building a Capability Replacement Laboratory. The lab will be used for R&D of radiological detection and dosimetry standards. Construction is set to be completed in 2011.

Other DHS S&T divisions include the Chemical and Biological division for research, which was allotted $206.8 million, a 3.2% increase. This funding will support biological, agricultural and chemical countermeasure research. The budget for S&T’s Innovation division, which focuses on R&D for cutting-edge homeland security technology, increased 33.3% to $44.0 million. For fiscal 2010, Innovation funding will support numerous projects for the development of portable and stationary chemical and biological detectors. The budget for the DHS’s S&T University Research division, which funds research at universities for homeland security priorities, declined 1.7% to $49.4 million.

Selected US Fiscal 2010

Budget Figures

FY10 ($M) % Chg.

USDA 121,130 11.7%

ARS 1,250 5.3%

NIFA 1,343 15.1%

DOE 27,111 1.2%

Office of Science 4,903 2.7%

EERE 2,243 2.3%

DHS 42,776 6.6%

S&T Directorate 1,006 7.9%