Senator Clinton Welcomes Energy Department Decision to Advance Brookhaven Labs Cutting-Edge NSLS-II Project

December 17, 2007 -- Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to grant "Critical Decision 2" (CD-2) status to the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The project will produce broad and practical impacts on a wide range of initiatives in nanotechnology, biomedicine, and clean and affordable energy. This decision is a major step forward for Brookhaven in the long process to make this state-of-the-art research complex a reality.

“I am pleased that the Department of Energy has recognized the incredible value in the work done at Brookhaven by continuing to move forward in the process to make the NSLS-II project a reality,” said Senator Clinton. “Brookhaven National Labs have continually proven their invaluable worth to Long Island’s economy, and their cutting-edge research and development have helped to ensure our nation’s position as a leader in the global scientific community.”

Senator Clinton has been a longtime champion for Brookhaven National Laboratory. Earlier this year, Senator Clinton joined Senator Schumer and Congressman Bishop in urging the DOE to increase funding for innovative projects at Brookhaven, including the NSLS-II.

According to Brookhaven National Laboratory, the NSLS-II will be the newest member of a suite of advanced light sources and neutron facilities operated by DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences that are used by more than 9,000 researchers annually from all disciplines. DOE has approved a total project cost for NSLS-II of $912 million and a schedule that calls for construction to begin in FY 2009 and project completion in FY 2015 . NSLS-II will replace the existing NSLS, which began operations in 1982. NSLS provides essential scientific tools for 2,300 scientists each year from more than 400 academic, industrial and government institutions.

The DOE granted CD-1 status to the NSLS-II in July of this year, which provided approval of its cost range and assured the facility's location at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The CD-2 is the third of five critical decisions that the project will need to achieve in order to progress through the successively more detailed stages of conceptual design, preliminary design, final design, construction, and then operations.

Source: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton