Department of Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) is charged with advancing the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; promoting scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and ensuring the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex. It facilitates some of the President's highest priorities: clean energy and research and development, which are critical to the Nation's economic competitiveness, and national security. In fact, government-wide research and development (R&D) funding is increased to its highest levels since President Kennedy, as a share of GDP. The President’s 2012 Budget provides $29.5 billion for DOE to support this mission, a 12 percent increase over the 2010 level. While funding has been increased in these critical areas, the Administration is also committed to putting the nation on a sustainable fiscal path and has identified areas for savings, such as inefficient fossil energy programs where industry has the resources to move forward without Federal assistance.
Invests in the Clean Energy Economy and Jobs of the Future   

• Positions the US to lead in the clean energy economy by providing $6.3 billion at DOE for clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities. 
• More than doubles funding for energy efficiency activities, increases support for renewable energy activities by over 70 percent, and provides $550 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy.
• Doubles the number of Energy Innovation Hubs, adding three more across the country to research energy storage, critical materials for energy, and new SmartGrid technologies and systems. These new hubs join those already modeling nuclear reactor technology, developing liquid fuels from sunlight and carbon dioxide, and studying energy efficient buildings.
• Creates a multi-pronged initiative with the goal of reducing energy usage in our nation’s commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020 through the Better Buildings Initiative. This includes a new pilot program to increase financing opportunities for universities, schools, and hospitals; a new $100 million “Race to Green” competition for state and municipal governments to implement innovative approaches to building codes; and performance standards; a private-sector Buildings Challenge; increased building technology R&D funding; and a redesign of tax incentives.
• Helps advance the goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 through a shift from the existing tax credit incentive to a rebate that would be available to consumers at the point of sale and a $588 million investment in research, development and deployment programs.
• Increase the percentage of electricity produced by clean energy sources by encouraging early commercial deployment of innovative clean energy technologies with additional loan guarantee support for nuclear power plants and innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will be coupled with tax incentives for renewable energy generation and manufacturing.

Protects Americans from the Threat of Nuclear Harm and Pollution

• Includes $7.6 billion to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear weapons stockpile in support of the planned decrease in deployed U.S. and Russian weapons under the New START Treaty approved by the Senate.
• Proposes $2.5 billion to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by fully funding efforts to secure and dispose of nuclear material, to develop technologies to detect and deter nuclear testing and smuggling, and to support international nonproliferation treaties.
• Continues the Nation’s efforts to reduce environmental risks, safely manage nuclear materials.

Improves the Way Federal Dollars are Spent

• Eliminates inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to address the threat of climate change. These terminations free up resources to invest in clean energy development and production, which is critical to the Nation's long-term economic growth and competitiveness.
  • Removing coal tax preferences would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate $2.6 billion of additional revenue over the next 10 years, an amount that represents only about one percent of annual domestic coal revenues over the coming decade.
  • Repealing oil and gas research and development subsidies would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate $43.6 billion of additional revenue over the next 10 years, an amount that represents only about one percent of domestic oil and gas revenues over the coming decade.