Administration Boosts Renewable Spending, Defense Dept Invests in Energy Conservation, BLM Asks Disclosure of Hydraulic Fracking

The Obama Administration  wants to boost spending sharply for renewable and clean energy programs, which are tagged for a 29 percent hike in an overall Energy Department budget increase of 3.2 percent. A $527 million increase for energy efficiency and renewables is second only to a $536 million proposed hike in DOE's nuclear weapons management. On the tax side, Obama wants to strip away $4 billion a year in oil, gas and coal subsidies — opponents say that's a tax hike that consumers will feel — while restoring clean energy and conservation credits.

Perhaps the single-largest new investment in an energy program would come from the Defense Department. Deep in its weapons and force structure documents Defense says it wants to boost energy conservation spending to $1 billion next year from $400 million this year.  That $600 million boost could help build more solar, wind and geothermal facilities on bases to cut dependence on area electrical power, and increase research on how to power deployed units so they don't rely as much on fuel truck resupply convoys. It could aid the current testing of biodiesel fuels to displace some oil fuels used by military ships and planes. 

The Houston Chronicle obtained a Leaked Draft of BLM Proposal to Require Disclosure of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Used on Federal Lands.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is responsible for administering Federal lands spanning approximately one-eighth of the country’s land area, is preparing a proposed rule that would establish certain disclosure and well testing requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations taking place on BLM lands.  Among other things, the current draft of the proposed rule would require operators of hydraulically fractured wells to disclose all chemical constituents of drilling fluid used for hydraulic fracturing; perform mechanical integrity tests of all well casings; and submit plans for handling and disposing of drilling fluids recovered from wells.