House Votes to Refocus Nuclear Fusion Program for Power Plant Development

In the process of reauthorizing the America Competes Act, which is a hodge-podge of programs to try to support science and technology and math education, the House has passed a bill that, for the first time in 30 years, calls for a "stronger focus" on "developing enabling technologies required to practically harness fusion power for reliable baseload electricity." For decades, fusion has been a (severely underfunded) "science" program, with virtually no engineering, technology, or materials development allowed. This has allowed almost every other country in the world engaged in fusion research to leap ahead of the once pace-setting U.S. fusion effort.

According to sources in the fusion community, the reformulation of the goals of the fusion program, including to "establish or solidify a lead in global fusion energy development," was the work of a House Science & Technology staffer, who earned his PhD in plasma physics at Princeton, and has worked in the Department of Energy fusion program. With a replaced Administration, LaRouche's economic policy, and a hell of a lot of work, the U.S. could again be a leader in desperately needed fusion energy development.