Given the tone of his speech before Congress earlier this week and his support of clean energy infrastructure as a tool for economic recovery, it’s no surprise that the outline of President Obama’s 2010 budget proposal, released today, includes increased funding for the Department of Energy’s renewable energy initiatives. But beyond the $26.3 billion proposed for the DOE, agencies ranging from the Department of Agriculture to the National Science Foundation will see their coffers for renewable energy and other clean technology efforts bolstered if Obama’s wish list makes it through Congress.

Earlier this month, we asked “If green jobs are so hot, where are they?” and found that many of the openings are in science and engineering jobs with early-stage firms in obscure cleantech sectors (e.g. fuel additives and air filtration). Those looking to break into such fields may have new resources in 2010, thanks to new fellowships, grants, education programs (not to mention funding for high-risk research into radically new technologies) included in Obama’s outline. The document released today represents a very broad sketch (it describes “increases” and “expansions” rather than hard dollar figures), but it offers a general sense of the administration’s priorities for 2010. Here are some of the highlights:  (link)