ABSTRACT
From our present institutional arrangements for developing new sources of energy, a significant imbalance has evolved with respect to the allocation of federal energy R&D funds. Federal energy R&D expenditures for fiscal 1973 will be about $622 million. About 42 percent ($260 million) is allocated to the LMFBR program; 15 percent to all other civilian nuclear power programs; 15 percent to coal R&D, one-third of which is for health and safety research; 10 percent to fusion energy, much of this for military applications; and 4 percent to petroleum and natural gas. About 1 percent is being spent for geothermal energy research and solar energy research with terrestrial applications. The funding for other civilian nuclear power programs includes only $5 million for the federal contribution to the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) program and $1 million toward gas-cooled fast breeder reactor (GCFBR) research. During the previous four years (fiscal 1969–72), the federal R&D expenditures going to the LMFBR program increased from $133 million to $237 million, an increase from 37 percent to 45 percent of the total federal energy R&D funds. The Administration’s fiscal 1974 budget includes $772 million for energy R&D; $323 million (42 percent) for the LMFBR program.
