Budget Roundup

While I will always think the President could bring more political gravitas to energy policy, at least there's some interesting energy dynamics in the budget proposal released yesterday.

• President Obama's 2012 budget proposal includes the elimination of $4 billion of subsidies and tax incentives for oil companies (via @NoahFisher at Americans for Energy Leadership).
• The Administration will also push for small modular nuclear reactors.
• Many scientists were relatively pleased with the budget proposal.
• Budget increases in DOE R&D and a rollback of subsidies for carbon energy amounts to $8 billion directed towards clean energy.
• Loan guarantees for nuclear power would triple under Obama's budget, something I recently advocated.
• Energy Secretary Steven Chu has a nifty presentation on science, research and innovation in the budget.

Fire in San Bruno

My thoughts and prayers are with the 6 dead and hundreds displaced citizens of San Bruno, just a short drive away from my home. I was briefly terrified last night when I first read reports of an explosion in San Bruno, and the ensuing fire, and was soberly comforted when I discovered no friends of mine were seriously affected. 53 homes were destroyed, another 120 damaged, following the 1000-foot fireball. The cause is expected to have been a blown gas main. PG&E provides natural gas service to the city, the "cleanest" of the major fossil fuel sources for electricity.

I doubt many will compare this terrible accident to the Gulf Oil Disaster, but they should. For the most part, our carbon infrastructure doesn't fail on a regular basis (intrinsic side-effects aside, such as carbon emissions, higher cancer and asthma rates, armed conflicts over oil, etc.). But when just one link in the chain fails, it yields disproportionate consequences in environmental and mortal terms (see earlier post on "carbon deaths"). Chalk it up to one more highly visceral reason to decarbonize our energy infrastructure.

Energetics Cliff Notes - Tuesday Edition

• Tree Hugger has some fascinating things to say about "Peak Everything," noting the looming shortages in gold, asphalt and olive oil.
• Carol Browner seems to have reversed the Administration's position on trade protection, voicing support from the President for carbon tariffs.
• John Yemma, from Christian Science Monitor, breaks down the problems with carbon offsets.
• The Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank that deals in climate skepticism, is basically controlled by high-level players in the fossil fuel industry.
• A Grist discussion on the SEC's January decision to urge businesses to disclose the carbon intensity of their activity.
• Where will the revenue from offshore royalties accrue most heavily? Three Senators weigh in.
• Perhaps marking an astounding new precedent in international law, the Federated States of Micronesia are suing Prunéřov - the Czech Republic's biggest polluter - on the grounds of transboundary harm (more on this over at Slate).
• A reaction to the UNFCCC and against the Copenhagen Accord, the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth convenes this week (pdf).
• Sheila McNulty over at FT thinks replacing all coal-fired plants with natural gas in the US is entirely feasible.
• EnviroKnow responds to Maggie Fox's op-ed on climate politics pessimism.