Bush seeks extra US energy research funds in '08

Washington, Feb 6: The Bush administration today asked Congress for 4.4 billion dollars in extra research funds in fiscal 2008 for high-tech areas such as supercomputers and turning wood chips into ethanol, even though Congress has not acted on the Energy Department's 2007 request.

The Energy Department's total budget request for the 2008 fiscal year, which starts October 1, comes in at 24.26 billion dollars in spending authority -- up about 6 percent from 2007 levels.

The request was part of the administration's Washington, Feb 6: The Bush administration today asked Congress for 4.4 billion dollars in extra research funds in fiscal 2008 for high-tech areas such as supercomputers and turning wood chips into ethanol, even though Congress has not acted on the Energy Department's 2007 request.

The Energy Department's total budget request for the 2008 fiscal year, which starts October 1, comes in at 24.26 billion dollars in spending authority -- up about 6 percent from 2007 levels.

The request was part of the administration's $2.9 trillion budget request for 2008 unveiled todday.

The department's biggest share, 9.387 billion dollars, would go to secure the US nuclear weapons stockpile, which is one of the Energy Department's prime functions.

The next biggest amount, 5.655 billion dollars, goes for cleaning up hazardous waste and radioactive contamination at 108 of 114 nuclear research and weapons production sites, like the Hanford site in Washington state, which used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The department's labs are key to a massive federal research initiative aimed at creating new energy sources that will help fulfill President George W Bush's goal of reducing US reliance on oil imports.

But Congress has been slow to act on the American Competitiveness Initiative, a program Bush rolled out last year to double funding for basic science research at federal labs run by the Energy Department by 2016.

The department's 2008 budget proposes a 4.4 billion dollars, or 7 percent, increase for the program, which would pursue developing lightning-fast super-computers as well as research into the tiny microbes needed to convert cellulosic materials like wood chips into ethanol fuel, and nanotechnology.

That's on top of a 4.1 billion dollars increase for the program requested in the 2007 budget, which has yet to be approved by congressional appropriators.

The majority of the science funds would go to basic energy sciences, such as research into material sciences, chemistry and geosciences. The 2008 budget requests 1.499 billion dollars for basic energy sciences, versus 1.199 billion dollars in 2007.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico Democrat and chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, criticized the budget for zeroing out research into all fossil energy sources except for coal.

The proposal repeals 50 million dollars in guaranteed funding for onshore natural gas exploration, and leaves coal as the only fossil fuel on which DOE will fund research, Bingaman said.

Bingaman also said he was puzzled by a big funding increase for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a controversial program that would reprocess spent nuclear fuel, funded at 405 million dollars for 2008.

Though Congress knows little about the program, the Energy Department's funding increase for it would outstrip its total solar energy research budget, Bingaman said.

Other items in the budget include: -- Coal Research Initiative - A request of 385 million dollars, part of a plan to spend 2 billion dollars over a decade on building low-emission coal-fired power plants. The money includes 108 million dollars for FutureGen, a zero-emissions coal plant that would store heat-trapping greenhouse gases in underground reservoirs and also manufacture hydrogen fuel.

-- Solar America Initiative - 148 million dollars in research with goal of making solar photovoltaic technology competitive with conventional electricity by 2015. That's versus an 83 million dollars request for 2007. Solar technology could power one million homes by 2015, if the effort succeeds.

-- Biofuels Initiative - 179 million dollars in research in producing ethanol from wood chips and switchgrass. That's versus 92 million dollars in 2007. Bush wants to make cellulosic ethanol cost competitive with corn-based supplies by 2012.

Reuters

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.9 trillion budget request for 2008 unveiled todday.

The department's biggest share, 9.387 billion dollars, would go to secure the US nuclear weapons stockpile, which is one of the Energy Department's prime functions.

The next biggest amount, 5.655 billion dollars, goes for cleaning up hazardous waste and radioactive contamination at 108 of 114 nuclear research and weapons production sites, like the Hanford site in Washington state, which used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The department's labs are key to a massive federal research initiative aimed at creating new energy sources that will help fulfill President George W Bush's goal of reducing US reliance on oil imports.

But Congress has been slow to act on the American Competitiveness Initiative, a program Bush rolled out last year to double funding for basic science research at federal labs run by the Energy Department by 2016.

The department's 2008 budget proposes a 4.4 billion dollars, or 7 percent, increase for the program, which would pursue developing lightning-fast super-computers as well as research into the tiny microbes needed to convert cellulosic materials like wood chips into ethanol fuel, and nanotechnology.

That's on top of a 4.1 billion dollars increase for the program requested in the 2007 budget, which has yet to be approved by congressional appropriators.

The majority of the science funds would go to basic energy sciences, such as research into material sciences, chemistry and geosciences. The 2008 budget requests 1.499 billion dollars for basic energy sciences, versus 1.199 billion dollars in 2007.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico Democrat and chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, criticized the budget for zeroing out research into all fossil energy sources except for coal.

The proposal repeals 50 million dollars in guaranteed funding for onshore natural gas exploration, and leaves coal as the only fossil fuel on which DOE will fund research, Bingaman said.

Bingaman also said he was puzzled by a big funding increase for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a controversial program that would reprocess spent nuclear fuel, funded at 405 million dollars for 2008.

Though Congress knows little about the program, the Energy Department's funding increase for it would outstrip its total solar energy research budget, Bingaman said.

Other items in the budget include: -- Coal Research Initiative - A request of 385 million dollars, part of a plan to spend 2 billion dollars over a decade on building low-emission coal-fired power plants. The money includes 108 million dollars for FutureGen, a zero-emissions coal plant that would store heat-trapping greenhouse gases in underground reservoirs and also manufacture hydrogen fuel.

-- Solar America Initiative - 148 million dollars in research with goal of making solar photovoltaic technology competitive with conventional electricity by 2015. That's versus an 83 million dollars request for 2007. Solar technology could power one million homes by 2015, if the effort succeeds.

-- Biofuels Initiative - 179 million dollars in research in producing ethanol from wood chips and switchgrass. That's versus 92 million dollars in 2007. Bush wants to make cellulosic ethanol cost competitive with corn-based supplies by 2012.

Reuters

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