Yesterday evening, December 9, the FY-15 Omnibus was posted by the Rules Committee.

Listen to ASP’s Andrew Holland explain the details and the importance of fusion to America’s long-term energy security.

It is expected to be voted on and approved by both the House and Senate before Friday, December 12.  Division D covers Energy and Water spending, including the Fusion Energy Sciences. Domestic fusion programs are given $317.5 million, $51 million over the FY-15 request, with breakouts for the three large tokamak experiments: NSTX-U, DIII-D, and Alcator C-Mod.

$150 million is proposed for ITER, the same amount of money as the FY-15 request.  The Senate position to withdraw the US from ITER participation has been stricken.

This, combined with strong support in the FY-14 budget is an encouraging result for the US fusion program. ASP is working on a forthcoming paper on how to organize the fusion program. Put together, this shows a renewed commitment to the US fusion program.

Find out more about fusion