It has been nearly four decades — from the Arab oil embargo of 1973 that led to gasoline lines and sharply higher prices — to today, when gasoline prices are approaching and in some cases surpassing $4 a gallon for the second period in three years.

An effective United States energy policy — through times when both political parties have been in control of the White House and Congress — remains sadly lacking. There has been plenty of talk about the need for the country to move toward energy independence, but not nearly enough action.

Now, looking toward the future, there is the real possibility of the country taking a major step backward.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2012 budget proposal from President Barack Obama calls for a 45 percent cut for the Fossil Energy Program. If approved by Congress, research funding would be cut from $939 million to $521 million. The DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory’s proposed budget calls for a 30 percent cut, from about $404 million to $291 million. The NETL has operations in Morgantown.

The NETL’s mission is to implement a broad spectrum of energy and environmental research and development programs enabling domestic coal, natural gas and oil to economically power the nation’s homes, industries, businesses and transportation while protecting the environment and enhancing energy independence.

“The president’s FY 2012 budget request reflects this administration’s commitment to making America the world leader in clean-energy innovation, while also making tough choices to cut some areas in order to reduce the deficit. While we are investing in areas that are critical to our future, we are also cutting back on some programs to save taxpayer money,” said Tiffany Edwards, DOE spokeswoman.

Cutting programs leading to cleaner use of coal — a miniscule part of the federal budget — under the assertion that it saves taxpayer money makes absolutely no sense.

Coal is an energy resource available in abundance from domestic sources, including West Virginia. The money stays in the country and is not sent overseas — in many cases to countries that are not friendly to the United States. There is also not an alternative to coal now or in the forseeable future. It is used to generate virtually all of the power used in West Virginia and about 50 percent of the power nationwide.

NETL is developing clean-coal technology. Carbon capture and storage, also called carbon capture and sequestration and often abbreviated CCS, is technology, existing and in development, that would capture the carbon dioxide that is released when fossil fuels are burned and store it away permanently, underground or in other places.

Before the 2012 budget proposal was released, the adminstration talked about the need for coal to continue to be a part of an energy solution. Obama has called for 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to come from clean sources by 2035.

“Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all — and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen,” Obama said in this year’s State of the Union speech.

“Coal is going to have a future in the United States and the rest of the world,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu said last month. “The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of coal.”

Then the White House submits a budget the accents the notion that it is an enemy of coal. The DOE’s overall budget proposal calls for a $3.1 billion increase from $26.4 billion to $29.5 billion. There are significant increases in funding for solar-energy initiatives, wind-energy projects, and biomass and biorefinery systems. Funding for nuclear energy shows a 1 percent decrease.

We strongly support efforts across the spectrum to improve the nation’s energy picture. We just as vigorously oppose any move that shoves coal aside.

Fortunately, that’s also the view of state representatives in Washington.

“While I strongly believe we must get our fiscal house in order, it just doesn’t make any sense to slash research into clean-coal technology when coal fuels nearly 50 percent of our nation’s energy needs,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said.

“If the Obama administration is serious about job creation and energy independence, we should not rule out responsible investments in any resource, particularly coal.

“I will fight for a final energy budget that reflects the reality that we desperately need a common-sense, balanced, environmentally responsible energy policy that doesn’t pick winners or losers, but invests in and harnesses all of our natural resources — coal, natural gas, wind, hydro, solar, biofuels and all the others.”

U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., has promised to challenge the administration.

“Our innovation and ability to compete globally are based on energy sources like coal,” McKinley said. “They then turn around and attack the very thing that allows us to be competitive — low energy cost?”

It’s bad enough when the nation’s energy policy doesn’t advance the cause. When it takes a step backward, it’s inexcusable.

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