The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy held hearings on Sept. 18 on the state of affairs in the U.S. fusion program. The issue is getting some attention on Capitol Hill, not because the development of fusion energy can provide an unlimited source of energy for all humanity for generations to come, but because there is a clear understanding that the U.S. has dropped the ball, and China is in the forefront of developing a commercial fusion reactor. It is sending legislators into a tizzy-fit.
The four major speakers at the hearing, some involved in private fusion efforts, others at national laboratories and at the University of Wisconsin, described the difficulties that the program was facing under present conditions. While the fusion budget has increased somewhat under President Donald Trump, it is far from being enough to jump-start a program that would provide fusion energy in America by, at best, 2035.
Bob Mumgaard, the CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, indicated that, in order to have sufficient milestone-based programs and test facilities, industry would require an input from the federal government of $10 billion, a sum that makes some legislators cringe. What the legislators interested in the matters, who are wringing their hands over China’s investing much more and making much more headway, do not understand, is that 45 years ago, their counterparts on Capitol Hill were presented the Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering Act (“McCormack Fusion Bill”), which would, in the views of all the experts, provide a commercial fusion reactor by the year 2000—at the cost of $20 billion over 20 years. That bill passed.
