Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
R and D has focused on improving oil exploration technologies, extending the life
of current oil reservoirs, and developing drilling technology for tapping into deep
deposits of natural gas. For example, DOE is working with industry to develop (1)
a composite drill pipe that is lighter, stronger, and more flexible than steel to
improve oil and natural gas extraction and (2) technology for tapping into the vast
amount of natural gas available in naturally occurring methane hydrate found on
land in permafrost regions and beneath the ocean floor at water depths greater
than 1,600 feet. In fiscal year 2005, exploration and production and methane
hydrate R and D received almost two-thirds of DOE's funding for oil and natural
gas R and D. While DOE's fiscal year 2006 budget proposed terminating the oil
and natural gas R and D program, the Congress provided $65 million. DOE's
fiscal year 2007 budget again proposed terminating the oil and natural gas R and
D program. In addition to the appropriated funds that oil and natural gas R and D
program receives, section 999A-H of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a
program for R and D and commercialization of technologies for ultra-deepwater
and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and
production through September 2014 and authorized the use of $50 million per
year from federal oil and gas lease income for an 11-year period.
DOE's Nuclear R and D Goals Recently Have Focused on
Restarting
the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry, Reprocessing Spent Nuclear Fuel,
and Developing New Reactor Designs
The commercial nuclear energy industry experienced substantial growth
during the 1960s and 1970s. By 1974, the federal government had approved
operating licenses for 52 nuclear reactors with plans for dozens more. However,
the energy crisis in the 1970s led to a significant reduction in orders for new
reactors and, coupled with concerns about reactor safety and performance
resulting from the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, the industry canceled the
application process for 93 other reactors. DOE began to focus on short-term R and
D, working specifically to restore public trust and regulator confidence by
improving safety and efficiency of operations. By the mid-1990s, the industry had
dramatically improved its safety record, and the performance of nuclear power
exceeded that of any other source of energy, reaching 90 percent of total potential
capacity. Left with only incremental improvements in operations and uncertain
economics, the Congress began to phase out funding DOE's nuclear energy R and
D and terminated nuclear R and D funding altogether in fiscal year 1998.
