The US Department of Energy has submitted a $23.598 billion spending plan to Congress for the 2007 fiscal year, a $45 million increase over that requested.
The spending plan emphasises investment in alternative fuel technologies, as put forward in president Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative announced in his 2006 ‘State of the Union’ address, which seeks to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The plan includes $1.5 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy while the National Renewable Energy Laboratory should also receive a major boost. Research for carbon sequestration will see a 55% increase to $100 million.
The Office of Science’s $3.8 billion allocation incorporates funding for fusion while the Office of Nuclear Energy’s NP 2010 programme is fully funded at $80.3 million. In addition, $167.5 million will be available for the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative.
