FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

DOE - 444 - Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee - Agency Authority

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee	Agency Name	Department of Energy
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	444
Original Establishment Date	4/18/1991	Committee Status	Terminated
Actual Termination Date	8/8/2025	Committee URL	https://science.osti.gov/fes/fesac
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	Approximately 28
Terminated This FY	Yes	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	DFO
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix	Dr.
Current Charter Date	8/2/2023	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Jean
Date Of Renewal Charter	8/2/2025	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name	Paul
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Allain
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix
Specific Termination Authority	AGEN	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(301) 903-4941
Establishment Authority*	Agency Authority	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	301-903-8584
Specific Establishment Authority*	AGEN	Designated Federal Officer Email*	jp.allain@science.doe.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	2/28/1991
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Scientific Technical Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	No
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The Committee receives charges from the Director, Office of Science. It normally appoints a panel consisting of members of the full Committee and experts in the specific areas needed to address the charge. The panel meets as necessary to develop a proposed response to the charge. The full Committee meets in public session to discuss the work of the panel and to prepare its response to the charge. In most cases, the Committee's response to a charge represents a unanimous position adopted by the Committee and is provided to the Department in a letter signed by the Committee Chair. In very rare cases, the response is based on a majority vote of Committee members present at the meeting.
How is membership balanced?*	The Committee members are chosen to ensure that the membership is appropriately balanced taking into account factors such as: (1) the scientific and technical disciplines; (2) the types of institutions that employ the members; (3) diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (4) the geographic location of these institutions. Recent Departmental guidance has dictated that the members be employed as Special Government Employees during the times that they are involved in conducting FESAC business since they are functioning as technical experts.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	FESAC meetings are held about two or three times per year. In FY 2024, FESAC had two hybrid meetings and one virtual meeting.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	The breadth of technical issues, the variety of research institutions involved, and the long-term nature of the program preclude exclusive reliance on Federal personnel, consultants, or a single contractor for the necessary level of advice for planning purposes. The advice that will be provided by FESAC is so diverse and technically complex that it cannot be provided or gained through the use of consultants, hearings, grants, contracts, or existing committee.
Why close or partially close meetings?	N/A
Recommendation Remarks

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	No	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	No	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	No	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	Yes	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	No	Action Other	Yes
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	No	Action Comment	The office adopted a new structure for the program to use in its long-range strategic planning efforts for the magnetic fusion energy sciences element based on the findings and recommendations of FESAC, adopted the Progress Assessment Rating Tool Long-Range performance measures, decided to move ahead with the Fusion Simulation Project, decided to terminate the National Compact Stellarator Experiment Project based partially on FESAC findings, made changes to the procedures that it uses to handle research proposals, made adjustments to the program’s research priorities, made changes to various reports that were being prepared for transmittal to Congress based on FESAC reviews and comments, moved ahead with plans to implement simulation and theoretical development in the fusion materials development program based on FESAC reviews, made the case to rejoin the ITER project following a series of FESAC reviews, followed the FESAC recommendation that compact stellarators were ready to be advanced to the Proof-of-Principle development stage, adopted an integrated program plan prepared by FESAC for managing the Fusion Energy Sciences program, and adopted FESAC advice for restructuring the entire fusion program and making it a science-based program instead of an energy technology development program.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	No	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	N/A	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	None	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	N/A	Grants Review Comment	N/A
Number Of Recommendations*	522	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	In FY 2024, FESAC issued a report on facility construction projects which contained no recommendations.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	0.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment		Access GSA FACA Website	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	0.00%	Access Publications	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment		Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	The charges to the Committee, the minutes of every meeting, Committee reports and the letter transmitting those reports to the Director, Office of Science, the materials presented at each meeting, and the DOE response letters are all available on the FESAC Web page that is accessed from the Fusion Energy Sciences Home Page on the Internet at https://science.osti.gov/fes
Agency Feedback Comment*	Feedback is provided to the Committee in a letter from Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) to the Committee Chair within 30 days of the receipt of a letter from the Committee Chair transmitting a report to the Director, Office of Science. Feedback can be found on the FES website: https://science.osti.gov/fes/fesac	Narrative Description*	The Committee provides valuable, independent advice to the Director of the Office of Science on complex scientific and technological issues that arise in the planning, implementation and management of the fusion energy sciences program.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*		1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*
2. Payments to Federal Members*		2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*
3. Payments to Federal Staff*		3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*
4. Payments to Consultants*		4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*		7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*		8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$0.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	2/6/2025 12:54 PM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

Interest Areas

Category Area Basic Science Materials Research Physics Energy Energy

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