Research facility receives funding; $1.6 million was earmarked for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in I.F.

BOISE - The Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls is all but assured of receiving state funding this year, but not as much as its leaders had hoped.

Still, the $1.6 million the Legislature's budget-writing committee earmarked for the project Wednesday will help move things forward, said Harold Blackman, the interim director of CAES.

CAES, scheduled for an August opening at University Place, is a partnership that includes Idaho's three state universities, the U.S. Department of Energy and Battelle Energy Alliance, which manages Idaho National Laboratory.

The center is expected to serve as headquarters for a program through which government, private industry and academia can produce a new generation of experts to address the world's energy woes.

Idaho is on the hook to provide funding for faculty and research positions. The State Board of Education originally requested $3 million to cover the state's share of personnel costs, operating expenses and capital costs.

Those costs were to be split among Idaho's research institutions partnering in the project - the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise State University.

Gov. C.L. ""Butch"" Otter originally balked at that request - CAES funding wasn't among his budget recommendations - but last week he suggested the state would spend $1.8 million for personnel costs and operating expenses, but not $1.2 million in capital expenses.

Wayne Hammon, Otter's budget director, said the governor's about-face came after realizing that the center's work could help solve Idaho's energy needs, in addition to the broader, world scope envisioned by the center's officials.

""We want them to solve Idaho's problems first,"" Hammon said.

On Wednesday, though, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted 11-9 to set aside less than that - $1.6 million for CAES personnel as part of a $422.8 million budget for the state's universities.

The money will partially support 25 research facility members, technicians, administrative officers and support staff at the 50,000-square-foot facility.

Those positions, which will also receive funding for research through INL, will be split among ISU, BSU and UI.

Rep. Janice McGeachin and Sen. Mel Richardson, both Idaho Falls Republicans, were in favor of a motion that would have earmarked $1.8 million for CAES.

McGeachin told committee members the project would bring in additional revenue to the state through research conducted by the top scientists in the energy field.

According to a 2006 preliminary business plan, each university faculty member affiliated with CAES (excluding Energy Policy Institute faculty) is expected to generate between $250,000 and $300,000 annually in competitively awarded research projects by fiscal year 2010.

""That's a dollar return for every dollar we put in this investment,"" McGeachin said.

Even without the money for operating and capital costs, which would have paid for high-tech machinery and other research materials, Blackman said he was grateful the budget writers at least came up with funding for personnel.

He said he's already heard from several researchers worldwide who are interested in working at CAES, and hopes the project's success persuades lawmakers to come up with additional funding in 2009.

""We're hopeful that we'll demonstrate the value of the program,"" Blackman said.

See it go up

To view an elapsed-time construction of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls, visit http://inlimages.inl.gov/imageserver/inl/caes/caesvideo.wmv.