NEW FUNDS FOR NUCLEAR: Nuclear energy and energy research are big winners in the Department of Energy's proposed 2011 budget.
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Nuclear energy and energy research are among the big winners in the proposed $28.4 billion Energy Department fiscal 2011 budget the White House unveiled today.
The almost 5 percent increase in funding from fiscal 2010 covers a $36 billion boost in loan guarantee authority for nuclear power facilities for a total of $54 billion, $300 million for an innovative energy research program, and a $226 million increase in funding for the Office of Science for research and development of "breakthrough" technologies for a total of $5.1 billion.
The White House proposed the additional funds to DOE even as Obama has called for a freeze on non-military spending at 2010 levels.
Obama said his budget request would "build on the largest investment in clean energy in history, as well as increase investment in scientific research."
In keeping with his theme that the United States is at risk of falling behind the rest of the world in clean energy, Obama said those programs will produce the "jobs of the future" in the United States.
"We also continue to lay a new foundation for lasting growth, which is essential, as well," Obama said today at the White House. "Just as it would be a terrible mistake to borrow against our children's future to pay our way today, it would be equally wrong to neglect their future by failing to invest in areas that will determine our economic success in this new century."
DOE projects did not go unscathed in the administration's new battle to slow the deficit spending. The administration proposed to cancel the $20 million renovation of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, a linear accelerator built 30 years ago. The Obama administration says it no longer plays a critical role in weapons research.
"We're saving $20 million by stopping the refurbishment of a Department of Energy science center that the Department of Energy does not want to refurbish," Obama said.
Local lawmakers might disagree with the proposal, however, and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) has significant influence over DOE's budget.
As promised, the White House's proposed budget also eliminates funding for development of the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev.; moves all administration to the Office of Nuclear Energy; and "will discontinue" its repository license application at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The budget includes $98 million to fund various state and local agencies associated with the project, to wind down the project and to provide $5 million for a "blue ribbon" commission to find an alternative solution to Yucca Mountain.
Energy research
The administration would continue its push to advance clean energy research and development by pouring $300 million into the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, an innovative program designed to develop transformational energy technologies.
The program got its official start with a $15 million appropriation in fiscal 2009 and a $400 million boost from the stimulus. But Congress appropriated no funds for the high-risk, high-reward research program in fiscal 2010. Administration officials, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, have championed the program, and the boost in this year's funding request is a show of confidence for the program, which has so far awarded 37 grants of about $4 million each.
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22 Comments
Add CommentGive President Obama a little time and he just might be able to pull us out of the Bush disaster.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI m just waiting for the greenies to jump in here and start complaining that "nuclear is not the way to go" and we should all be using solar power and riding bicycles blah blah blah.....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would like to see the Thorium LFTR type technology pursued. I was under the impression that, aside from the corrosive salts and plumbing issues, the tech was fairly well tested and feasible.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs the President is advocating an increase in nuclear generated power, he might have waited until after an alternative waste repository had been selected before terminating the current effort.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisChryses: If the President wants the new technology used in the nuclear reactors, they will use spent nuclear waste from the old reactors and emmit hardly no spent waste.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHe may be advocating an increase in nuclear power by his words, but he doesn't actually want an increase in nuclear power. It's just a bone to the right to coax them to go along with his mostly ill conceived energy ideas., like government investment in money losing technologies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJamesDavis,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA big 'if'.
Soccerdad,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou can, of course, sunstantiate your claim?
DOE has a terrible track record at picking research projects that become economical technologies. Better to just cut taxes on energy companies and let them use the money for R&D.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe only thing holding up nuclear energy is the defacto 'no risk' regulations enforced by the NRC. Since it is impossible to produce electricity without risk, they won't permit any new plants. The only reason you need loan guarantees is to cover the risk of the government changing the rules during construction, which NRC almost always does.
The TMI event and full scale core melt experiments DOE did in the '80's proved that the huge offsite consequences previously assumed are impossible. NRC's authority to make hugely expensive regulations needs to be repealed in favor of an insurance system covering the consequences that are actually possible. Then loan guarantees aren't needed.
Obama is the most anti-science president since William Henry Harrison. While SciAm was screeching and gnashing teeth over W's science policy, you headlined this story "Obama Budget Increases Funding for Energy Research and Nuclear Power" to mask that this president is chopping away at science with a broad ax. Maybe someday SciAm will return to the fold of Science instead of political posturing.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this�Way to go? If numbers in the article are OK, then the total budget is 54 BIllon. Nuclear alone gets 26 Billon, almost 50% and all other technologies will have to share the leftovers. Last year wind alone added 10GW to the system, menwhile nuclear has not added a sigle MW in more than 25 years. �Where is that money going?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLoan guarantees are paid for by the industry at rate set by the GAO based on cost. Their value is a few hundred million, sort of like your uncle signing on your loan. After Shoreham where a Greenpeace sponsored village selectman ten miles from the plant was able to cancel the license for a just built nuke plant, no investor will trust the Nuclear Rejection Commission.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHello Tom O H... seems your part of the problem... Green is not the way to go according to your expertise? What is wrong with being able to someday end the need for nuclear power. The huge wasted dollars could easily be used to get rid of this home based threat. $36 billion towards solar and wind technology per year would out do nuclear.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisObama, the USA has been about it's economy for some time... giving breaks and hand outs to the wealthy. Any buisnessman, investor or real estate agency knows that when the econemy is down that is when to buy, build or invest. What a nation should be doing is looking ahead... is the existing infrastructures up to par... is the existing road/rail system and the countless vehicles adequately engineered to it's optimum... where are the high speed trains in this equation ( they are better suited to mass transportation than airlines if done right )? Nuclear < Green...
Where are your people who can puzzle together how things are done now, what is being researched or already achieved globaly today, pulling ideas and people from varios walks of life together using a common sence approach for better long term planning...
It is possible to respect the USA for such activity in search of breaches of clean energy. We can give such technological help and be the participants of such breach. It we already worked out and can offer technology of receipt of clean energy and small reconstruction small resources.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAcademician G.Z.
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Chrysis,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne cannot substantiate a claim about another's true intent until after the fact. We can examine Obama's record of honesty in past claims to predict the likelihood of making good on present claims.
He said he was going to accept public funding for his presidential campaing.
He later declined public funding so he was free to spend more.
He derided Hillary for proposing an individual insurance mandate and ran attack ads claiming that he would not support such a thing.
He supported an individual mandate in both the House and Senate bills.
He cut a deal with big pharma and insurance companies to partially protect them if they did not oppose his healthcare takeover.
He later reneged on the deals and heaped more taxes on these industries than promised.
He promised to broadcast healthcare negotiations on CSpan
He declined to push for the broadcast of the White House / congress negotiations. These were held in private despite a request from CSpan to be admitted.
He promised a new tone in Washington and pledged to work with the other party to get things done.
He has not spoken to the House Minority Leader in over a year.
These are just a few examples of promises made which he did not even try to honor. They were simply words to get what he wanted. I think nuclear will be the same. He'll use it to pick off a few republicans, then will find an excuse later to continue blocking nuclear.
Soccerdad:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"He may be advocating an increase in nuclear power by his words, but he doesn't actually want an increase in nuclear power."
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Chryses:
"Soccerdad, you can, of course, sunstantiate your claim?"
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Yep...just more partisan politics and propaganda without any substance -- still making unsubstantiated claims!
A nuclear power plant design invented at Argonne National Lab 24 years ago has none of the drawbacks of conventional nuclear plants
One of our country's leading experts on global warming, Jim Hansen, recently re-discovered the IFR. Those who have been briefed on the IFR believe it is an essential technology we must develop to combat climate change and should be restarted immediately. This led to Hansen including restarting 4th generation nuclear power as one of his 5 top priorities for President Obama (see the bottom of page 7 in Hansen's Tell Barack Obama the Truth -- The Whole Truth).
Energy Secretary Chu, the President of MIT, and the renewable experts at the most recent Aspen Institute Energy Forum all agree that it is not responsible to believe that you can solve the climate crisis without nuclear.
http://skirsch.com/politics/globalwarming/ifr.htm
Nice article Kate,Katherine,Jenny and Mike...Its nice to see someone(s) do a good summarization of a pile of papers;-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn Canada it is more difficult to get funding. The Government makes money on selling oil from the tar sands.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo, the discovery of tapping power out of the aether, like Tesla did for his Pierce Arrow Car in 1931 ( and what the Flying Saucers do), has not got a chance in hell to be developed here even though the patents have been granted. The system could also have been used for real spacecraft.
A mister Obama sees the prospect of energy correctly. We have также- warm a reactor on a cluster fuel is consonant with atomic technology. Without extrass in an atmosphere and radiation contamination. It economic advantageously and ecologically clean energy. It is jointly possible quickly to realize such projects small resources.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA mister Obama sees the prospect of energy correctly. We have также- warm a reactor on a cluster fuel is consonant with atomic technology. Without extrass in an atmosphere and radiation contamination. It economic advantageously and ecologically clean energy. It is jointly possible quickly to realize such projects small resources.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHello wamcconnell,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow can you deprive George Bush of that well deserved title.
Mr. Obama seems to live in the real world and not in some strange theological parallel universe.
ps . I do not live in the USA,so I am not politically motivated.
What about the economics of this decision.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf the reactor uses safe technology it won't be economical.