PCAST forms panel on energy R&D;

17 Jun 2002

On March 20, Presidential Science Advisor John Gibbons announced formation of a panel, under the auspices of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), that would provide advice on how to ensure the U.S.'s energy R&D; program addresses the needs of the next century. The panel will work cooperatively with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Energy Department to review the nation's energy programs, including efficiency, renewables, advanced fossil-fuel technologies, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.

The panel will make recommendations for federal R&D;, incentives for private-sector R&D;, and participation in international efforts. PCAST member John Holdren, Director of the Program on Science, Technology and Public Policy at Harvard's J.F. Kennedy School of Government, has been named to chair the panel. It will comprise 21 experts from academia, industry, think tanks, national laboratories, and utilities.