Prepared Remarks by the Hon. Bart Gordon for the Nuclear Energy Institute Research and Development Symposium
Thank you, Dr. Hanson, for that kind introduction and thanks to NEI for inviting me here today. Also, I want to recognize NEI for its foresight in putting together this symposium to address current research and development issues that affect not only your industry but the nation as a whole.
That’s why Senators Alexander and Bingaman and House Science Committee Chairman Boehlert and myself asked the National Academies to conduct an assessment of America’s ability to compete and prosper in the 21st Century - and to propose appropriate actions to enhance the likelihood of success in that endeavor.
The result was the Committee’s report entitled, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which was released toward the end of last year. The Academies assembled an eminent panel with diverse backgrounds, including university presidents, CEO of major corporations, and Nobel Laureates. Norman Augustine, its Chair, gave the Science Committee this sobering assessment in his testimony last fall:
"It is the unanimous view of our Committee that America today faces a serious and intensifying challenge with regard to its future competitiveness and standard of living. Further, we appear to be on a losing path.
"The thrust of our findings is straightforward. The standard of living of Americans in the years ahead will depend to a very large degree on the quality of jobs that they are able to hold.
"Without quality jobs our citizens will not have the purchasing power to support the standard of living which they seek, and to which many have become accustomed. Tax revenues will not be generated to provide for strong national security and health care; and the lack of a vibrant domestic consumer market will provide a disincentive for either U.S. or foreign companies to invest in jobs in America."
This report followed New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman’s recent book, The Earth is Flat, which concludes that "globalization has accidentally made Beijing, Bangalore, and Bethesda next door neighbors," and the new neighborhood means that the candidates for many U.S. jobs are merely a mouse-click away.
So, today, Americans are in competition for jobs - not with their classmates, but with educated and trained people all over the world. We began first to see the signs in manufacturing as plant jobs in many parts of the country moved offshore. That trend is moving up the skill ladder and affecting many "high-end" jobs. We are rapidly reaching the point where the only "safe" jobs are those that require a physical presence at a particular location.
Consider the following:
- U.S hospitals can e-mail x-rays and images to be read overnight by radiologists and other specialists in India at a fraction of the cost of having them read next door. This helps create a 24-hour workday.
- Back-office operations and call centers of U.S. companies are increasingly run in Latin America and India. Chances are you experienced this if you’ve had occasion to call a software vendor’s support line for assistance.
- At some McDonald’s, drive-in window orders are being handled by a processing center hundreds of miles away, then returned to the worker at the window 10 feet away for preparation and bagging. Next week’s order may be taken by a person half a world away.
If I had to conjure up an industry that is heavily dependent on highly skilled mathematicians, scientists and engineers, I wouldn’t be far wrong if I selected the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry is a case study for the need to educate the next generation of workers, not only to meet the needs of the anticipated new plants as they move through construction and into operation, but also to replace those workers at existing plants as they reach retirement age.
I believe all the necessary studies have been conducted. We know the problems and solutions. Now we need action.
I want to talk to you about legislation that not only affects the welfare of your industry, but also could have profound effects on your children and grandchildren and their ability to maintain the standard of living that you currently enjoy.
How serious is the problem for our children today? In a recent international test involving math comprehension, U.S. students placed 27th among the nations participating and 42nd out of 44 in science at the high school level. Approximately two-thirds of U.S. students studying chemistry and physics are taught by teachers with no major or certificate in the subject. For math in grades 5-12, it’s one-half.
Ladies and gentlemen, these circumstances are untenable if our nation is to be competitive in the new world economy.
Reaction in the Congress to the recommendations in the Gathering Storm report has been swift. On December 7, I introduced a package of three bills that put into legislative language those recommendations that fall within the jurisdiction of the Science Committee. On January 26 members of the Senate, including the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy Committee, introduced a package of three bills, which collectively are called the “Protecting America’s Competitiveness Edge Through Energy” Act, or more simply the PACE Act.
My package of three bills deals with those recommendations in Science Education, and Science and Engineering. The third bill establishes an organization, called ARPA-E, within DOE.
The Science Education bill implements most of the K-through-12 science education recommendations of the report. It establishes a program at the National Science Foundation to provide loans to science, math and engineering students who commit to become science or math teachers at elementary and secondary schools and then forgives the loans if they teach for 5 years.
It authorizes summer teacher training institutes at NSF and the Department of Energy to improve the content knowledge and skills of in-service science and math teachers. The bill also establishes a master’s degree program at NSF for in-service science and mathematics teachers and establishes training programs at NSF for preparing science and math teachers to teach Advanced Placement courses.
The Science and Engineering Research bill implements recommendations related to strengthening long-term basic research. It authorizes 10% increases per year in funding for basic research in the physical sciences, mathematical sciences, and engineering. It also provides substantial awards to outstanding early-career researchers and creates a new, portable graduate fellowship program for individuals pursuing studies in areas of national need.
Finally the ARPA-E bill establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency organization within the Department of Energy. Modeled after the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency, the goal of ARPA-E is to reduce U.S. foreign energy dependence by 20% over a 10-year period through the development of transforming energy technologies.
In closing, I congratulate NEI on recognizing the broad benefits of robust Federal research and development programs by holding this R&D Seminar. And now, I’m going to make a request.
As you leave today to make your way to the Hill to visit with your members, I urge you to ask them to support the PACE package (S. 2197, 2198, 2199) in the Senate and the Gordon bills in the House, H.R. 4434, H.R. 4435 and H.R. 4596 that implement the Rising Above the Gathering Storm Report.
Once again, thank you for the opportunity to be with you here today and I look forward to answering your questions as time permits.
Next Article Previous Article