Passed with a 312-112 vote, the bill provides over three billion dollars to address global climate change from the total $30.3 billion
The bulk of the funding, $25.243 billion, goes to the Department of Energy up $1.150 billion on 2007 and $480 million above the President’s request.
Reducing dependence on foreign oil will receive $1.9 billion, $638 million above the President’s request and $400 million above 2007 for energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes while solar energy gets $200 million and biofuels $250 million, up $40.6 million and $50.3 million over 2007 respectively. Hydropower, which was not funded in 2007 or in the President’s request, will receive $22 million to research new ways of generating power from water flow, this is on top of the $95 million for upgrades to existing hydropower dams funded under the Army Corps.
Geothermal energy will get $44.3 million under the bill, a massive increase of $39.3 million above 2007.
Fossil energy will get $708.8 million, $116.2 million above 2007 for demonstration of carbon capture technology and the FutureGen initiative to create the world’s first zero-emissions fossil fuel plant.
Nuclear energy will get $639.2 million, $232.5 million above the President’s request and $324.5 million above 2007, including funding for a Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant at the Idaho National Lab. Yucca Mountain will also receive $494.5 million, $48.8 million above 2007, matching the administration’s request for nuclear waste disposal. However, funding for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) will be cut to $120 million, $285 million below the President’s request and $47.5 million below 2007 for the initiative to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and burn long-lived radioactive materials. Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX) will get $167.8 million, a cut of $263.5 million below the President’s request and $115.1 million below 2007 because the Administration asked for more than could be spent in 2008 and last year’s funds are sufficient to continue construction.
