Bush Budget Would Cut Solar Programs in Half

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Monday April 9 10:04 AM ET Bush Budget Would Cut Solar Programs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday proposed slashing more than $200 million from federal renewable energy and efficiency research programs, even as his administration claims the United States must find ways to cope with an energy crisis.

Under the president's proposed fiscal 2002 budget, the Energy Department's core solar and renewable energy programs would be cut in half to $186 million from current spending levels of $376 million.

The Department's efficiency research programs, which seek ways to reduce energy use, would be cut by $61 million to $795 million in the 2002 spending year that begins on Oct. 1.

Bush's budget also assumes that $1.2 billion in bonus bids would be raised by the federal government in 2004 from oil and natural gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The White House proposes to spend that money on alternative energy programs over seven years. However, there is growing opposition in Congress to allow drilling in the Arctic refuge, so the money may never materialize.

The president's budget does propose spending $150 million to develop less-polluting coal that would be used to fuel electric generating plants. Congress will spend the next few months finalizing a spending plan for the federal government for fiscal 2002. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010409/bs/budget_energy_dc_1.html

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), April 09, 2001

Answers

Well, what dew you expect an oil tycoon to do? EVERYTHING in government has a money trail! EVERYTHING!

-- NdewTyme (NdewTyme@NdewT.com), April 09, 2001.

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