Republicans on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee told Energy Secretary Steven Chu Wednesday that his agency's proposed 12 percent budget boost for fiscal year 2012 appeared excessive, politically unrealistic and tilted too heavily toward renewables, and they joined the committee's Democratic chairman in opposing big cuts in DOE's fossil energy research program. At the first congressional hearing on DOE's proposed $29.5 billion budget plan, Chu also was questioned about the department's plan to sell oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and he expressed concern about whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had sufficient authority on siting and cost allocation for big power line projects.
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