Bush Calls For Spending On Clean Energy TechBush Calls For Spending On Clean Energy Tech

SAN FRANCISCO — In his State of the Union address Tuesday (Jan. 31), U.S. President George Bush unveiled an advanced energy initiative with an aggressive goal of replacing 75 percent of U.S. oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.

The broad Advanced Energy Initiative would boost funding for coal, hybrid, nuclear, solar and wind technologies.

Bush proposed a 22 percent budget increase for Department of Energy "clean-energy research" to push for breakthroughs in the way Americans power homes, offices and automobiles.

"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," Bush said. "The best way to break this addiction is through technology."

Bush said the U.S. has spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative energy since 2001. "We are on the threshold of incredible advances," he said.

Specific areas of research outlined by Bush included clean coal technologies, solar power, wind energy, vehicle efficiency, hydrogen fuel and a biorefinery initiative to study advanced technologies for making renewable ethanol fuel from plant fiber. Bush also referenced "clean, safe nuclear energy" as part of the energy solution.

"By applying the talent and technology of America," Bush said, "this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."

Also Tuesday, as expected, Bush outlined a competitiveness initiative — an increase in federal investment in critical research, including the goal of providing American children with a strong foundation in math and science. Under that initiative, Bush proposed doubling the U.S. government's commitment to "the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences" over the next decade. He also proposed making permanent the federal government's R&D tax credit.

"With more research in both the public and private sectors," Bush said, "we will improve our quality of life and ensure that America will lead the world in opportunity and innovation for decades to come." As part of the National Energy Policy, the Bush administration has committed $2 billion over 10 years to speed up research in the use of clean coal technologies. The 2007 budget includes $281 million for the development of clean coal technologies.

The budget also includes $54 million for the FutureGen Initiative, a partnership between government and the private sector to develop innovative technologies for an emissions-free coal plant.

The 2007 budget will also propose a new $148 million Solar America Initiative — an increase of $65 million to accelerate the development of semiconductor materials that convert sunlight directly to electricity. In addition, the budget includes $44 million for wind energy research, a $5 million increase over FY06 levels.

The Bush administration also hopes to accelerate research in cutting-edge methods of producing "cellulosic ethanol" with the goal of making the use of such ethanol practical and competitive within six years.

The administration will also step up the nation's research in better batteries for use in hybrid and electric cars and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. The 2007 budget includes $30 million — a $6.7 million increase over FY06 to speed up the development of this battery technology and extend the range of these vehicles.

In his 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush announced a $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to develop technology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells, which would power cars, trucks, homes, and businesses with no pollution or greenhouse gases.

The 2007 budget will provide $289 million, an increase of $53 million over FY06 to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars. Through the President's program, the cost of a hydrogen fuel cell has been cut by more than 50 percent in just four years.