WASHINGTON, DC, US.
President George Bush has asked Congress for US$25 billion in funds for
the Department of Energy, of which $1.25 billion is allocated for the Office
of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
Energy secretary Samuel Bodman says the DOE budget request for FY2009 is an
increase of $1 billion over the FY2008 appropriation and will “continue
investments to meet growing energy demand with clean, safe, affordable,
reliable and diverse supplies of energy; support the development of climate
change technologies; advance environmental cleanup; and ensure the
reliability of our nuclear weapons stockpile.” The budget supports
development of carbon capture and storage technologies and accelerates
technology to further the Advanced Energy Initiative.
The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy budget requests $1.25
billion, $1 million more than the administration’s FY2008 request, to
support a diverse portfolio of energy options, including fuels and vehicles
($592 million); renewable power ($242 million); and energy efficiency ($186
million) programs.
For fuels and vehicles, the funding would go to biomass ($225 million) for
commercial scale cellulosic ethanol by 2012, as well as support for plug-in
hybrids, lithium-ion batteries, and hydrogen fuel cell technology.
To advance renewables, the budget request includes funding for the Solar
America Initiative ($225 million total - $156 million from EERE and $69
million from the Office of Science); wind power research ($53 million) and
geothermal ($30 million). The budget request supports energy efficiency
programs, including buildings and industrial technologies ($186 million), to
reduce energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint through
zero-energy buildings.
"This budget furthers President Bush’s comprehensive strategy to increase
energy, economic, and national security by focusing on accelerating
technological breakthroughs, expanding traditional and renewable sources of
energy, and increasing investment in scientific discovery and development,”
Bodman explains.
The budget request was criticized by the Center for American Progress, which
says it involves “cuts in critical areas, including climate protection,
tribal energy and solar energy, while funding for fossil and nuclear energy
was increased.” It notes the Renewable Energy Production Incentive was
“zeroed out entirely.”
Among the inconsistencies in the request was a 27% decrease in total funding
requested for the Department of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
programs from the FY2008 appropriations level; a 25% increase in funding for
nuclear energy; and reductions to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance and
Weatherization Assistance programs.
For renewable energy, the proposed budget for the Renewable Energy
Production Incentive program us zero, down from $5 million allocated in
FY2008. It also includes a $6.9 million cut to the hydropower program (cut
of 70% from FY2008 appropriations); a $12.3 million cut to the solar energy
program (down 7%); a $26.8 million increase in biomass and biorefinery
systems R&D (up 13%); and a $10.2 million increase in geothermal technology
(up 51%) which the group said should “be commended as an investment in
low-carbon alternatives.”
The budget also includes a $4.9 million reduction to tribal activities such
as the Tribal Energy Program, which provides financial and technical
assistance to Native American tribes for feasibility studies of renewable
energy development on tribal lands, and offers assistance to tribes for the
initial steps toward renewable energy development. This is an 83% cut from
the FY2008 appropriations level.
|
