President Obama's proposed 2012 energy budget would triple nuclear power loan guarantees from the $18.5 billion already appropriated to $54.5 billion. Obama is asking for an additional $36 billion in 2012 above the $18.5 billion. This mirrors a similar goal articulated in Obama's 2010 State of the Union address but successfully blocked last year. The budget also includes $67 million to develop designs for “small modular reactors." On the brighter side, a program that would study how to extract oil from tar sands was defunded. Beyond Nuclear remains on the front lines in efforts to block authorization and appropriation of loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants and we encourage all reading this to contact their Congressional representatives and urge them not to approve legislation that gives away this unnecessary nuclear pork at taxpayers' expense.