SEN. ALEXANDER CALLS FOR DOUBLING ENERGY R&D DOLLARS

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
5/31/13

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who serves as ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, proposed doubling federal funding for energy R&D this week. In a May 29 speech at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Alexander said Congress should double the $9 billion the federal government spends annually on non-defense energy R&D work, citing what he said was DOE’s success funding early research into unconventional gas in the 1970s. “There is an argument that by imposing government mandates, just as by imposing higher prices, government could force some innovation that could move us toward clean energy independence,” said Alexander, who also serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “But I think the surer path would be to double the $9 billion we spend annually on non-defense energy research and development and trust the marketplace to produce better results.”

Alexander’s call for more R&D dollars was one of four new “grand principles” he pitched as part of a new energy blueprint. He called on Congress to end its “obsession” with subsidies for “expensive energy,” and gut ongoing incentive schemes for energy sources like oil and wind. Alexander said policymakers should also look beyond renewables like solar and wind and expand their focus to include other forms of clean energy like hydropower and nuclear. He also emphasized the need for lawmakers to trust the marketplace to choose successful technologies and not allow the government to “pick winners and losers” via subsidies and other incentive schemes. 

‘Mini-Manhattan Projects’

Alexander’s policy speech comes five years after he made a similar address at the national lab, where he called on DOE to spearhead seven “mini-Manhattan projects” to overcome challenges related to carbon capture and utilization, plug-in vehicles, nuclear waste and other issues. In his speech this week, Alexander said he saw some progress on those issues, most prominently through outlets like DOE’s Energy Innovation Hubs and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. “I’ve been fascinated with the progress we’ve made on the seven grand challenges I suggested five years ago,” Alexander said. “Perhaps by focusing on these four grand principles, we can capitalize on this progress toward cheap, clean, reliable energy.”

Alexander in years past has broken with his party on some clean air and climate change-related issues. In his remarks this week, Alexander briefly acknowledged the National Academy of Sciences’ conclusion that human activity has contributed significantly to climate change, but also outlined what he said were the significant gains the U.S. has made in reducing emissions in recent years without setting a price on carbon.