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Bill Gates published an editorial in Science that calls for a significant increase in US federal government spending on research into alternative forms of energy. Calling for an increase from the current $5 billion per year to $16 billion per year, Gates criticized the fact that federal spending on energy research had decreased by more than 75% over the past 30 years.

Gates is a member of the American Energy Innovation Council which has been calling on the US government to sharply increase its funding for the research and development of clean technologies to boost the economy, protect the environment, create jobs, and ensure America’s energy security. They believe strongly that government must play a major role in the growth of the clean energy sector, and that they can do that by:

• Eliminating subsidies for fossil fuels in order to fund research.
• Find additional funds for clean tech by diverting royalties from domestic energy production to green energy development.
• Charge fees on electricity use or put a price on carbon emissions to bring in additional funds for renewables.

Though Gates has traditionally supported health care and development with his philanthropic dollars, he has recently been investing in energy, including Sapphire Energy (algae fuel), Liquid Metal Battery (low-cost batteries for renewables), and TerraPower (using waste from nuclear plants as fuel).

"In a time of economic crisis, asking policymakers in Washington, D.C., to spend more money might not be the most popular position. But it's essential to protect America's national interests and ensure that the United States plays a leading role in the fast-growing global clean energy industry," wrote Gates. “If the United States begins in earnest today, the nation's energy challenges can be solved in ways that truly set America on a path of energy independence and that provide affordable energy for everyone, especially the poor.”