In another example, at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, which is 

 the oldest and largest research lab in the Department of Agriculture, much of 

 the lab space was built before World War 11. To keep drafts and humidity 

 from ruining delicate experiments, researchers have had to cover windows 

 with plastic sheeting and even cardboard. 



In a lab in the basement of one building, the scientific equipment has been 

 put on stilts to keep it from being ruined by periodic floods. In another build- 

 ing, rain from a leaking roof damaged expensive computer equipment. 



At the National Institutes of Health, which is widely recognized as the 

 world's leading medical research facility, the main clinical research laboratory 

 is so outmoded that the Army Corps of Engineers says it needs to be com- 

 pletely replaced. The ventilation system is so overloaded that there is "a po- 

 tential safety risk that air between laboratories and public spaces in the 

 Clinical Center might be cross-contaminated, according to the GAO report. 

 The age of the building — it is almost 40 years old — and its deteriorating con- 

 dition have often put the NIH years behind in installing new equipment 

 needed for advanced research. 



Last year, John Lyons, Director of the National Institute of Standards and 

 Technology, wrote a letter to the Washington Post about conditions in his 

 agency, and I quote: 



Lab facilities for the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 

 Gaithersburg, Maryland, and in Boulder, Colorado, which were built 24 to 40 

 years ago, are relatively new compared to most federal labs. Yet, despite rigorous 

 maintenance, the more than $2 billion worth of facilities at these sites is deterio- 

 rating at an accelerating rate. 



NIST scientists must drape their laser experiments in plastic sheeting to pro- 

 tect them from tiny black particles delivered by corroded air circulation systems. 

 Others regularly conduct their experiments at 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. because their 

 laboratory's temperature and humidity controls are inadequate to deal with nor- 

 mal daytime fluctuations. Inadequate building environmental controls have also 

 hampered NIST's ability to make precision engineering measurements. 

 I am very concerned that the poor physical condition of the federal labora- 

 tories is jeopardizing their important scientific missions, and thus weakening 

 the ability of the United States to compete in the world economy. 



This morning's GAO report reveals a widespread pattern of underinvest- 

 ment in the maintenance and repair of government research facilities. GAO 

 found a backlog of about $4 billion. This underinvestment has resulted in 

 poor laboratory conditions that fail to meet scientific standards, that reduce 

 productivity and ruin experiments, and that in some cases violate worker 

 health and safety standards. 



While some progress has been made in improving lab conditions, as with 

 the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Beltsville Agricul- 

 tural Research Center modernization plans, the report we are releasing today 

 makes clear that more work is needed. 



I want to conclude this opening statement by a final quote from Dr. Ly- 

 ons's letter: 



Laboratory facilities are the infrastructure, the road and bridges of science 

 and technology. Funding for science without funding for facilities is a losing 

 game. In an age in which science and technology are major contributors to eco- 

 nomic growth and national security, it is time to find a way to fund upgrading of 

 scientific facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis before the walls come tumbling 

 down. 



