Clean coal and fuel cells highlight 2004 energy budget.

President Bush's budget plan for 2004 proposes a 5.9% increase for the Department of Energy, with the largest increases earmarked for nuclear power and weapons priorities. Clean coal technology and hydrogen fuel cells, both prominently featured in President Bush's State of the Union message, are duly recognized in the budget, but renewable energy and energy efficiency would see little new money or would face cuts. Environmental funding, likewise, does not fare well.

The National Nuclear Security Administration would grab more than a third of the proposed $23.4 billion Department of Energy budget, for a total of $8.8 billion. The funds would be used primarily for nuclear weapons production, cleanup of domestic nuclear weapons sites, construction of a South Carolina plant to convert nuclear warhead material into power plant fuel, and building a nuclear fuel storage repository at Yucca Mountain, NV.

On the non-nuclear side, the Department of Energy's budget request allocates $765.9 million to the Office of Fossil Energy (OFE). Included is $533.3 million for coal, oil, and natural gas research and development.

The focus of the FY 2004 Fossil Energy program is exclusively on supporting three of the President's top energy and environmental initiatives: Clear Skies, Climate Change, and Energy Security, according to the OFE.

Clean-Coal Research

Specifically, the budget calls for $321 million for research into clean coal technology as part of a 10-year, $2 billion program outlined in the President's State of the Union address.

Also included in the coal research budget is $62 million for continued research in carbon sequestration.