In his Energy and Water Appropriations bill, Visclosky has boosted funding for investments in biofuels, vehicle technologies, renewable energies and energy efficiency programs.  The bill was approved by the full Appropriations Committee today, and is slated to be considered by the House of Representatives next week. 

“In Northwest Indiana, the high cost of gas is cutting into the pocketbooks of hard working families, and nationally we are facing an energy crisis because we are dependent on foreign sources of oil,” said Visclosky. “With this legislation, we are taking immediate steps to invest in new technologies and develop new sources of energy.  While these energy investments won’t make gas prices drop overnight, they are part of a comprehensive effort to make us less reliant on imported oil, and to strengthen our national and economic security.”

One of the reasons for our current energy crisis is the past lack of investment in energy.  By fiscal year 2006, adjusted for inflation, government funding for energy research, development, and demonstration had fallen to less than one-quarter of its 1980 levels.  Visclosky’s Energy and Water Appropriations Bill aims to make energy research and development a greater national priority with the following investments:

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: $1.9 billion, $638 million above the President’s request and $400 million above 2007 to reduce our dependence on foreign oil in a way that cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

·        Solar Energy: $200 million, $40.6 million over 2007 and $51.7 billion above the President’s request for research, development and demonstration projects to make solar energy affordable.

·        Biofuels: $250 million, $50.3 million above 2007 and $70.7 million above the President’s request for research and development of alternative fuels such as corn based and cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. 

·        Vehicle Technology: $235.4 million, $47.4 million above 2007 and $59.3 million above the President’s request to collaborate with industry on developing technologies for improved fuel efficiency such as improved batteries or engines that burn clean diesel.

·        Energy Efficient Buildings: $146.5 million, $42.1 million above 2007 and $60 million above the President’s request for research into building and industrial conservation technologies that would reduce energy demand.  This includes developing affordable, net-zero energy use homes.

·        Weatherization Grants: $245.6 million, $101.6 million above the President’s request level and $41 million above 2007, for insulation and other cost-effective energy conservation measures, restoring the program to its 2006 funding level.

·        Hydropower: $22 million, not funded in 2007 or in the President’s request, to research new ways of generating power from water flow. (this is on top of the $95 million for upgrades to existing hydropower dams funded under the Army Corps)

·        Geothermal Energy: $44.3 million, $39.3 million above 2007 and eliminated in the President’s request.

Fossil Energy: $708.8 million, $142 million above the President’s request and $116.2 million above 2007 for: demonstration of technology that captures carbon exhaust; improvements to existing coal power plants that were zeroed in the request; and the FutureGen initiative to create the world's first zero-emissions fossil fuel plant.

Office of Science: $4.516 billion, $116.2 million above the President’s request and $716.8 million above 2007 for basic scientific research, supporting 3,500 additional researchers and allowing almost all of the science facilities to operate at maximum capacity.

·        Climate Change Science: $150 million, $20 million above the President’s request and $24 million above 2007 for research into Climate Change including: modeling using state-of-the-art super computers; monitoring radiation in the atmosphere; and long-term experiments on the impact of increased carbon dioxide levels on forests and other ecosystems.

·        Energy Basic Research: $208 million, $30 million above the President’s request and $35 million above 2007 for research into improving technology for energy storage and generation.

Nuclear Energy: $639.2 million, $232.5 million above the President’s request and $324.5 million above 2007, including funding for a Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant that will use safer, more efficient technology and for the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility. (Not including funding for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).