Tech credentials expected to help Energy nominee in post

Lawmakers and industry officials are touting the science and technology qualifications of Deputy Treasury Secretary Samuel Bodman as he prepares to oversee various research and development programs as secretary of the Energy Department.

"I am particularly pleased with his technical training and outstanding track record" at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said last month after President Bush nominated Bodman to succeed outgoing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "He understands the critical role science, research and advanced technologies will play in meeting our energy challenges."

Domenici is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which was holding a confirmation hearing on Bodman's nomination at press time Wednesday. Domenici also represents the state that is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is under the committee's jurisdiction.

Fellow New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who is the top Democrat on the panel, also praised Bush's pick of Bodman.

"This nomination highlights the important role that the Department of Energy plays in maintaining our national technological competitiveness," Bingaman said. "The department is steward to most of our premier federal scientific laboratories and is a leading funder of federal research in the physical sciences and engineering."

Bodman would oversee the department's $22.8 billion budget for fiscal 2005 and manage the 10 national labs, as well as research and development projects funded by the department at seven additional labs. He is a chemical engineering graduate from Cornell University and a former professor of chemical engineering at MIT. He also served as CEO of Boston-based Cabot, a chemical company.

Bodman has been confirmed twice by the Senate -- to serve as a deputy secretary in the Treasury and Commerce departments.

In 2003, Bodman testified about the Bush administration's effort to terminate Commerce's Advanced Technology Program, which helps fund high-risk private-sector research, and to reduce funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. He said officials had to prioritize limited funding for other programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which oversees both programs.

At Energy, Bodman will oversee various R&D projects dealing with nanotechnology, supercomputing and other advanced technologies. He also will have to tackle departmental e-government initiatives. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in September gave Energy a "mixed results" grade for implementing the President's Management Agenda, including the call to improve online services.

In fiscal 2005, Energy's science office received $3.6 billion, a 2.8 percent increase, and some of the office's programs, including high-end computing, received modest increases.

Industry representatives view Bodman as an advocate for science and innovation." Bodman has the right credentials for the job," Helen Quinn, president of the American Physical Society, said in a recent statement.

She added that he "would also bring to his new position ... an ideal resume: a strong background in science, engineering and technology, and a great understanding of how discovery and innovation move into the marketplace and benefit the economy."