The Bush administration released its 2009 budget today, with a price tag of $3.1 trillion. (Perspective: There are 3.1 trillion seconds in 99,200 years.) Relatively speaking, energy and environment issues were not high priority. But within environmental-type allocation, nuclear energy and “clean coal” saw a huge funding boost. The budget would also raise funding for air-pollution mitigation, climate science programs, biofuels, weather satellites, and restoration of Gulf Coast wetlands and the Everglades. It would reduce funding for home energy-efficiency programs, hydrogen research, farmland conservation, and water infrastructure. Mass transit got a raise; plug-in hybrid research got a cut. Wind power got a slight boost, while solar power saw a slight drop. The budget would also open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, a provision that few expect to last once congressfolk get their hands on the budget. The tome was posted on the internet, saving a lot of trees. But probably not 3.1 trillion.
