The annual tug of war over funding for the Department of Energy’s fossil energy research and development programs commenced this week on the floor of the House as several amendments to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill shifting funding to or from the program came to a vote, and all failed, Wednesday. The full bill is expected to be voted on by the end of the week.
The $37.4 billion House bill funds fossil energy R&D at $645 million, $285 million above the administration’s request and slightly more than the Senate’s $632 million proposal. DOE proposed to bolster its $360 million request with an additional $240 million in reallocated prior-year balances to bring the total to $600 million, but House appropriators did not care for the “budgetary gimmick” and rejected it right off the bat.
Republicans and Democrats alike were looking to adjust the bills fossil energy funding.
Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) introduced an amendment to reduce funding for DOE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy program by $50 million and increase fossil energy R&D by $45 million. The Griffith amendment failed by a vote of 182-236.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) introduced an amendment to eliminating DOE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy, nuclear energy, and fossil energy R&D programs and transferring the savings to the Spending Reduction Account. That amendment failed by a vote of 80-339
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) introduced two amendments, one which would increase energy efficiency and renewable energy funding by $9.75 million and reduce fossil energy R&D funding by $13 million and another which would reduce fossil energy R&D funding by $285 million and transfer the savings to the Spending Reduction Account. The Polis amendments failed 167-251 and 144-275 respectively.
