Tell Congress to Fund Polywell though Energy Department

Discuss funding sources for polywell research, including the non-profit EMC2 Fusion Development Corporation, as well as any other relevant research efforts.

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classicpenny
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Tell Congress to Fund Polywell though Energy Department

Post by classicpenny »

I called this "Plan B" in another thread. (Plan A being EMC2's search for $30 million in VC over 3 years.) I suggested -on the advice of someone who seemed to know- that Dr. Park might really want $40 million, but he might be minimizing his request to attract investors. Anyway, for those of us who are NOT venture capitalists, here is Plan B:

In the event that Dr. Park cannot find a suitable investor, it would seem a good plan to have the Energy Department as a back-up. The Energy Department has traditionally been resistant to funding fusion projects such as the Polywell, but perhaps this could change in light of the recent paper from Park, Krall, et al. However Energy's attitude probably isn't going to change in time for the 2015 budget, and that's why we all need to educate our Senators and Congressmen and ask them to add the Polywell as a line item to the 2015 energy budget, with the $40 million coming from the CCS project in the Fossil Fuel line of the 2015 energy budget. (This makes sense because -by their own admission- coal plant owners have no intention of paying for CCS without a substantial government subsidy plus CCS still leaks about 10% CO2 into the atmosphere plus rates would clearly increase for users unlucky enough to be connected to a CCS coal plant.)

It would seem wise for those of us who are US voters to take 10 or 15 minutes to go to the official websites of our Senators and our respective Member of Congress, and use the website's "contact" email feature to ask each Senator and Congressperson to sponsor or support the movement of $40 million from the Fossil Fuel line item in the Energy Budget to a new line item for Polywell in the Energy Budget.

NOW is the time to do this, while both the Senate and the House are working on the budget!

Bill Flint

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