Federal funds restored for Brookhaven Lab

The federal budget bill awaiting signature from President Barack Obama restores $89 million for the federal Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the agency that funds Brookhaven National Lab, officials said yesterday Monday.

The omnibus budget bill passed by the Senate on Saturday — a day after the House passed it — includes $4.889 billion for the Office of Science, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. The bill’s passage came weeks after a House proposal would have reduced funding to $4 billion.

The House version would have cut funding for the ongoing construction of the Upton lab’s National Synchroton Light Source II (NSLS-II) project by $10 million, which would have delayed the project and increased its overall cost by almost $3 million, Schumer said.

“Brookhaven National Lab is a jobs behemoth on Long Island, doing some of the most cutting edge scientific research in the world,” Schumer said in a statement. “By restoring these cuts and maintaining existing funding levels, the lab can continue to not only lead the world in research, but demonstrate how investments in science are investments in our economy and workforce.”

Schumer, Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) also released a statement Monday touting the restored funding.