STATEMENT: Congress Supports Funding for Important Clean Energy Programs in Appropriations Bill
Congress passed today an appropriations package funding several government agencies for fiscal year 2019, including the Department of Energy and Appalachian Regional Commission. The bill squarely rejects the deep funding cuts for clean energy and advanced manufacturing programs that were included in the president’s fiscal year 2019 budget request.
The BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Kim Glas in response to the passage of the bill:
“Congress made the right call today, once again rejecting the administration’s request for deep cuts to funding for important clean energy and advanced manufacturing programs while avoiding inclusion of any new harmful anti-environmental riders that derailed the budget in the past.
“Support for programs—including DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office, Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, and ARPA-E—will allow the nation to forge ahead as a leader in the manufacturing and deployment of clean energy and advanced vehicle technology. This bill also supported critical funding for the POWER Initiative, which supports reinvestment in communities across the nation that have been negatively impacted by America’s evolving energy mix. All of these programs are critical to building an economy that creates quality jobs in the clean technologies of the future.”