One failing of the Bush administration was the lack of federal funding it committed to scientific research and development. A case in point: Its creation in 2007 of a research agency in the Energy Department without any funding attached.
President Barack Obama, making good on a campaign promise, is proving that scientists will get better treatment under his administration. As reported Monday by The New York Times, the department is about to announce 37 grants totaling $151 million for cutting-edge research that could produce solutions to many of the energy industry’s problems.
The research will be directed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which received $400 million in economic stimulus money. Its newly confirmed director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist Arun Majumdar, told the Times the agency would finance different approaches to energy challenges. He aptly said that’s because “if many of them fail but one works, that’s great, we’ve solved the problem.”
That is how it should be with support for scientific research.
Scientists should be given ample opportunity and financing to test a variety of theories and approaches.
One of the best aspects of the grant process is that small businesses are able to compete with larger corporations and universities. The Energy Department is clearly interested in solving vexing issues dealing with global warming, renewable resources, gasoline and diesel fuels and battery alternatives, regardless of who comes up with the answers.
We would like to see some of the scientists who win these grants emphasize development of solar, wind and geothermal energy, because those renewable resources are environmentally friendly and would free this nation from its dependency on foreign crude oil.
We would also encourage the Energy Department to help publicize the research as it evolves. In the event that the federal funding dries up, the publicity could help attract private investors who are willing to take a risk on promising ideas that could turn into tomorrow’s monumental breakthroughs.
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