"The prosperity and security of the United States hinge upon an historic effort to power the economy through clean and reliable energy sources," said the Department of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß's (DoE's) introduction to its request for a FY2010 budget of $26.4 billion.
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While not taking a leading role in the DoE's budget documentation, research into advanced nuclear power will recieve a significant part of energy source funding. If the DoE's request is approved and appropriated, $383 million would be allocated "to research and develop advanced nuclear technology and guel cycle technologies with improved safety and proliferation-resistance characteristics."
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This would be split into two main programs: $192 for fuel cycle research and development which will "provide a sound basis for any future decision on the US nuclear fuel cycle" and $191 for Generation IV nuclear systems and solving the underlying technology challenges of the six reactor concepts under consideration. There was no mention of the Global Nuclear ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Partnership (GNEP) and the Yucca Mountain program was officially 'terminated' (see Yucca Mountain 'terminated').
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Ìý "Currently, nuclear Ìý energy supplies Ìý approximately 20% of Ìý the nation's electricity Ìý and over 70% of clean Ìý non-carbon energy." Ìý "Nuclear energy serves Ìý as a plentiful and Ìý reliable supply of energy Ìý today." Ìý |
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Nuclear's support was comparable to that for other low-carbon energy sources, although the most significant green spending is $671 million to accelerate energy conservation measures.
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Solar power is planned to receive $320 million - up 83% on this year - while $75 million could go to wind and $50 million to geothermal. Programs towards clean coal could receive $180 million.
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A notable entry was $333 million for the development of low-emissions vehicles. The DoE said it wants "the US to set the global standard for low-emissions transportation technology." It will also make available some $25 billion in loans to car and car part manufacturers to adjust and tool-up for a new generation of advanced automobiles.
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Besides power, nuclear energy features highly in the DoE's military-related programs in the form of legacy site clean-up and the work of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
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The NNSA is to have $9.9 billion in FY2010 for its work, which includes repatriating Russian-origin high-enriced uranium. It is building the mixed-oxide nuclear fuel facility at Savannah River to dispose of surplus US plutonium and it's budget is swelled by $1.9 billion over five years for this.
NNSA said that over $1 billion of its funding would go towards Naval nuclear propulsion - the development of a new reactor and propulsion unit for future submarines as well as the refuelling of the S8G training reactor in New York state.
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Military site clean-up is allocated $5.8 billion, which comes on top of $6 billion from the recent Recovery Act. A priority for this spending is the decommissioning of underground waste tanks.




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