National Labs Eye Uncertain Results/Billions in Future Construction Remain in Limbo

摘要

With billions of dollars in construction work hanging in the balance, discussions in Washington offer hope that dozens of national laboratories across the country could move ahead with megaprojects and on-going capital improvement plans. But political divisions run deep. In 2006, the science community was given a big boost by the passage of the American Competitiveness Initiative, which promotes the advancement of research to keep the nation at the forefront of innovation. Among the goals was a doubling of the Department of Energy's budget for the Office of Science, which oversees 21 major labs.