Things Explosive at Dept. of Energy
You might think, like me, that the primary focus of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is, well, energy. Like me, you would be wrong. Scanning the DOE’s proposed (brought forward under the Bush administration, not yet approved and likely to be altered substantially under the Obama administration) budget for 2009 brings some interesting things to light. The largest single line item in the $25.014 billion budget proposal is $6.618 billion for oversight and management of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Add in other defense-related nuclear programs and the total jumps to $9.097 billion. The U.S. may not be the powerhouse it once was but DOE is the most well armed governmental department in the world.
Surely then, the second largest expenditure is on energy. Well, not really. The second largest DOE item in the proposed 2009 budget is $6.209 billion, primarily for environmental management and civilian radioactive waste management.
Well, energy has got to be the third largest item in the budget. Nope, that would be a nebulous line item for “science” totaling $4.722 billion.
Jimmy Cricket, where does energy fall? Fourth, at $3.936 billion. That money breaks out as follows: $1.255 for energy efficiency and renewable energy (down 27.1% from the 2008 budget); $134 million for electricity delivery and energy reliability (off 3.3% from 2008); $1.127 billion for fossil fuel (up 24.6% from 2008); and $1.419 for nuclear energy (up 37.3% over 2008). The balance of the budget(slightly more that $1 billion) is management.
If you think a U.S. Federal department charged with energy oversight and development that budgets just less than 16% for energy is lame, I agree. If you think spending 36% of that same department’s budget overseeing a nuclear weapons stockpile is lame, I agree again. If you think, under the U.S. governmental system, that this budget is an aberration, you are wrong.
The only sure thing about the proposed DOE budget is that it won’t pass Congress in its current form. That doesn’t mean there will be less spent on storing nuclear warheads or on environment issues. No, under the Obama administration, it means that the budget will grow, with greater funding for energy in general and renewable energy specifically. That is not a bad thing.
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January 15th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Good day Mr. Pike
When our governments talk energy they are really saying is electricity. Vehicles and power plants make all the pollution so that’s why they are on the list. Everything will get fixed with solar and wind making electricity for the new electric cars.
What government does not see is natural gas, our clean burning fuel. It is used to heat our buildings like hospitals, universities, schools, hotels and even prisons.
Natural gas is used to process our food and beverages. It is used in textiles to make our clothes. It is used to make pharmaceuticals, steel, and almost everthing else we need to survive.
Natural gas is the clean burning fuel but how much is being wasted? Natural gas has always been, and still is a cheap fuel. If some of it got wasted and blown up the chimney as hot exhaust, oh well, it’s cheap. Because it is cheap the manufactures of natural gas appliances were not concerned about how efficient the appliance operates. Residential, yes. Industrial, where most of the gas is consumed, no.
20% or more of all natural gas consumed is blown up the chimney. If this were to be reduced by even 10%, in 10 years time it would be a free year. By 15% it would only take 6.6 years. At 5% it would take 20 years, but then it is like getting a year of fuel for free. How many tons of emissions would be reduced each year? For every decatherm of energy recovered and used back in the facility where it was first intended to go, 118 lbs of emissions do not go into the stmosphere. Even at 5% increased energy efficiency that would be a lot of tons.
Natural Gas ~ The clean burning fuel ~ You gota love it