Outlook for the Federal Laboratories

The federal government supports more than 700 laboratories, which carry out a diverse set of missions under the auspices of a large number of departments and agencies. In recent years, the missions of some of the laboratories (especially those devoted to defense and nuclear technologies) have become less critical to the nation, while the missions of others that are more closely linked to economic performance and environmental quality have grown in importance. Congress and the administration face the challenges of refocusing some laboratories on new needs, consolidating or closing others, and rebuilding the aging infrastructure of still others. Because individual laboratories can be important to the economies of their regions, resolving these challenges has political as well as technical ramifications. With a few exceptions, it is unlikely that the federal laboratory system will grow or that major funds will be allocated to new construction or renovation in the foreseeable future. Cancellation of the superconducting super collider suggests retrenchment, rather than growth.