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Trump’s energy budget makes coal and nuclear a priority over renewables

By SightlineU3O8   Posted in Nuclear Attitude U
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President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget energy priorities emphasize coal, nuclear and national security over renewable energy and climate change.

The Energy Department’s renewable energy office’s budget is slashed by 70 percent, from $2.3 billion to just under $700 million, in the new fiscal 2020 budget request to Congress rolled out on Monday.

Instead, the funds are being diverted toward energy security, with the priorities being nuclear power plants and new, more efficient coal plants.

“We are requesting $2.3 billion to secure energy independence, to fund innovations for more affordable, viable and efficient energy sources, such as new nuclear and fossil energy investments,” said a senior Energy Department official on a call with reporters.

The administration it committed to “revitalizing” the U.S. nuclear industry, with the hope that Congress will expand the nuclear energy sector by supporting the president’s spending request for advanced nuclear technologies.

“Funding for energy independence also focuses on early-stage research and development for new technologies across all of our energy resources,” said the official, while emphasizing the priority placed on early-stage research and development for low-emissions coal-fired power plants.

For example, the administration is committed to early stage R&D on high-efficiency, low-emissions coal-fired power plants.

The agency also aims to direct some of the renewable energy office’s priorities toward energy storage technologies. In 2020, the department hopes to accelerate early-stage R&D for energy storage technologies, to improve energy security, reliability, and grid resilience.

Energy storage can both help make renewable energy more reliable, while also helping to stabilize the grid during a disruption.

The second pillar of the fiscal 2020 budget is scientific innovation. It requests $5.5 billion for the effort, while simultaneously zeroing out the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the agency within the department focused on pushing forward on groundbreaking renewable energy technologies.

Energy Department officials justify the renewable energy cuts by citing the numerous advances being made on solar in wind in the private sector, and the need to focus the agency’s attention elsewhere.

The “third pillar” of the department’s budget proposal laid out by officials is seeking $23.7 billion for specific “national security” priorities.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry believes “that you can’t have national security without energy security, and our energy is only as secure as our grid is,” the official said.

For example, the administration is committed to early stage R&D on high-efficiency, low-emissions coal-fired power plants.

The agency also aims to direct some of the renewable energy office’s priorities toward energy storage technologies. In 2020, the department hopes to accelerate early-stage R&D for energy storage technologies, to improve energy security, reliability, and grid resilience.

Energy storage can both help make renewable energy more reliable, while also helping to stabilize the grid during a disruption.

The second pillar of the fiscal 2020 budget is scientific innovation. It requests $5.5 billion for the effort, while simultaneously zeroing out the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the agency within the department focused on pushing forward on groundbreaking renewable energy technologies.

Energy Department officials justify the renewable energy cuts by citing the numerous advances being made on solar in wind in the private sector, and the need to focus the agency’s attention elsewhere.

The “third pillar” of the department’s budget proposal laid out by officials is seeking $23.7 billion for specific “national security” priorities.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry believes “that you can’t have national security without energy security, and our energy is only as secure as our grid is,” the official said.

The Energy Department’s total request is $31.7 billion, which is a 11 percent decrease from the fiscal 2019 levels.

Source: The Washington Examiner