Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm about federal funding requests for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), a project run by Fermilab in Illinois. In March, Durbin secured $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill.
On the call, Durbin explained the importance of Fermilab’s research and urged the Secretary to join him in advocating for robust funding for LBNF/DUNE to be included in future Presidential Budget Requests.
“National labs, like Illinois’ own Fermilab, have pushed the boundaries of scientific discovery with unmatched dedication to their research missions. To keep these programs up and running, we need strong federal support for the Department of Energy,” said Durbin. “During my call with Secretary Granholm, I reiterated my support for LBNF/DUNE and encouraged her to prioritize the project’s funding.”
Earlier this month, Durbin met with Fermilab Director Lia Merminga to discuss LBNF/DUNE.
LBNF/DUNE is an international flagship experiment to unlock the mysteries of neutrinos. LBNF/DUNE will pursue three science goals: find out whether neutrinos could be the reason the universe is made of matter; look for subatomic phenomena that could help realize Einstein’s dream of the unification of forces; and watch for neutrinos emerging from an exploding star.
-30-