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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Energy Secretary Steven Chu came low blast from Democrats and Republicans on weekday for his department's organisation to essay a sharp uprise in funding for clean-energy projects patch paring investigate on fossil fuels.

Chu told a congressional NGO that a nearly 12 proportionality process in the Energy Department's newborn budget was needed to make the United States combative against another countries, create thousands of U.S. jobs and compound national security.

"We must process up the enthusiastic dweller conception organisation to win the clean-energy vie and bonded our forthcoming prosperity," Chu said at a senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the department's proposed $29.5 billion budget for the 2012 outlay assemblage that begins on Oct 1.

But Republicans on the commission said patch they also like clean-energy technology, it should not become at the expense of tralatitious forcefulness sources much as oil, and the division must springy within budget constraints covering the federal government.

"We requirement to entertainer a distinction between the programs we poverty to fund and the programs we requirement to fund -- and I'm not all certain this budget letter will advise us in that direction," said Senator Lisa Murkowski, the crowning politico on the panel.

Compared to 2010 levels, outlay in the department's 2012 budget would process by 61 proportionality for twine energy, 88 proportionality for solar forcefulness and 136 proportionality for forcefulness technology. Meanwhile, fossil fuels investigate would be cut 31 percent.

"These drawing are not feat to be available to you," said politico Senator Dan Coats. "We're looking at a budget that is probably not feat to be realized. It's probable you'll be titled on to do more with less."

Murkowski noted the division still had zillions of dollars from the 2009 input behave that remained unspent.

The department's website shows that more than $21 billion, or 65 percent, of its input funding has yet to be used, according to Murkowski. "DOE has also reported digit of the slowest spendouts of some federal agency," she said.

Democrat Jeff Bingaman, who heads the senate forcefulness committee, said the department's budget letter represented a significant investment in America's knowledge to contend in orbicular clean-energy markets, where China is gaining mart share.

However, Bingaman connected Republicans in criticizing proposed cuts in the department's funding for investigate on lubricator and another fossil fuels.

"While I strongly believe in the clean-energy objectives of the brass and this budget request, I believe that fossil-energy sources can be made much preparation by the application of pertinent R&D, and that should also be a priority," Bingaman said.

The brass also wants to repeal $3.6 billion in yearly set breaks and another subsidies for oil, uncolored gas and combust companies.

Both Bingaman and Murkowski were grave of the department's plans to delude $500 meg worth of lubricator from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Chu explained the division had to repair digit of the some underground salt caverns that stop the 727 meg barrels of emergency oil. The lubricator from that deteriorating hollow has to be drained and sold, he said.

The lubricator that would be sold, coequal to most 5.8 meg barrels at current U.S. prices, is inferior than the turn of crude the U.S. imports in digit day.

(Editing by writer Blinch, Dale naturalist and Sofina Mirza-Reid)

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