DOE submits spending plan to Congress

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy submitted the $23.598 billion spending plan to Congress Friday, for the remainder of the 2007 fiscal year.

The spending plan allows $45 million increase over the FY'07 request. The Continuing Resolution, signed by President Bush Feb. 15, added the new funds and required that a spending plan be submitted to Congress within 30 days of enactment.

"We intend to use that to continue our development of the scientific workforce in the United States," said Undersecretary Ray Orbach.

The department's spending plan includes $1.5 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The $300 million increase will fund biomass, solar and advanced vehicle battery projects.

"The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management will spend $445.5 million in FY '07 and will perform the critical path activities needed to produce a high quality Yucca Mountain license application for submittal to the NRC no later than June 30,2008," Spurgeon said.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will receive $100 million increase in funding for its projects as well. Increases at NREL include $20 million for its biorefinery researching ethanol; $16 million for advanced thin-film photovoltaic manufacturing equipment to reduce the cost of solar panels and $63 million to build a research facility on the campus.

An emphasis is being put on carbon capture and sequestration, with the program getting a 55 percent increase to $100 million, said DOE Acting Undersecretary Dennis Spurgeon. The funds will help to expedite the start of projects involving large scale carbon dioxide injection field tests, Spurgeon said.

The Office of Science and the Office of Environmental Management also received funding increases to follow through with the president's American Competitiveness Initiative and clean up of Cold War-era nuclear facilities.