| WASHINGTON - September 26 - In a letter delivered today to Congressional appropriators
in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, more than 30
business, consumer, environmental, and energy policy organizations called
for higher funding levels in Fiscal Year 2006 for the U.S. Department of
Energy's renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.
The groups noted that the appropriations bills approved earlier by the U.S.
Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives provided funding overall that
is essentially just level with FY'05 for most core sustainable energy
programs but also include significant cuts in several accounts such as the
advanced hydropower turbine and wind energy programs.
They wrote: "The aftershocks of Hurricane Katrina are now breaking across
U.S. energy markets; gasoline prices are now topping $3/gallon; energy
imports are now at historic highs; and natural gas and home heating oil
costs are now projected to increase dramatically this winter. Energy
efficiency and renewable energy technologies offer the best near-term and
mid-term options for addressing these challenges while simultaneously
creating domestic jobs, reducing greenhouse gases and regulated emissions,
and enhancing national security. Consequently, we believe that level
funding for these programs is simply not acceptable."
Moreover, the letter continued, "Congress needs to greatly increase
longer-term research, development, and - particularly - deployment funding
for efficiency and renewables. The recently-enacted Energy Policy Act of
2005 increases authorizations substantially and, for a start, Congress
should be appropriating funds at these levels, beginning with the FY'06
appropriations bills."
The groups' letter follows the release of a report last week by the
Republican Study Committee, a group of over 100 House Republicans, calling
for elimination of applied research for renewable energy sources and the US
DOE + US EPA Energy Star Program (see <http://johnshadegg.house.gov/rsc/>).
It also comes amidst unconfirmed reports that the White House is presently
contemplating deep (i.e., 20-30%) cuts in the core sustainable energy
programs in its FY'07 budget request, including elimination of funding for
the wind, geothermal, and concentrating solar accounts.
The full text of the letter and list of 31 signers with contact information:
Members
Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittees
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC
Dear Senator, Representative:
We, the undersigned business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy
organizations are writing to express our strong concerns regarding the
funding levels for the U.S. Department of Energy's renewable energy and
energy efficiency programs in the fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water
appropriations bills to be discussed soon in conference committee.
The appropriations bills approved earlier by the U.S. Senate and the U.S.
House of Representatives provided funding overall that is essentially just
level with FY'05 for most core sustainable energy programs. However, they
also include (in either or both bills) significant cuts in several accounts
such as the advanced hydropower turbine and wind energy programs.
The aftershocks of Hurricane Katrina are now breaking across U.S. energy
markets; gasoline prices are now topping $3/gallon; energy imports are now
at historic highs; and natural gas and home heating oil costs are now
projected to increase dramatically this winter. Energy efficiency and
renewable energy technologies offer the best near-term and mid-term options
for addressing these challenges while simultaneously creating domestic jobs,
reducing greenhouse gases and regulated emissions, and enhancing national
security. Consequently, we believe that level funding for these programs is
simply not acceptable.
Katrina's economic and energy impacts put the nation's unsustainable
appetite for ever more costly oil and natural gas in stark relief.
Fundamental and sweeping changes are needed in U.S. energy policy, beginning
with the priorities reflected in the U.S. Department of Energy's budget.
Congress needs to greatly increase longer-term research, development, and -
particularly - deployment funding for efficiency and renewables. The
recently-enacted Energy Policy Act of 2005 increases authorizations
substantially and, for a start, Congress should be appropriating funds at
these levels, beginning with the FY'06 appropriations bills.
Longer-term (e.g., over the next five years), Congress should at least
double funding for the cross-section of renewable energy and energy
efficiency programs.
We hope you take these concerns into consideration and would welcome the
opportunity to discuss them with you further.
Sincerely,
Linda Stone
<lstone@all4energy.org>
Alliance for Affordable Energy
1001 S. Broad Street
New Orleans, LA 70125
Bill Prindle, Deputy Director
<bprindle@aceee.org>
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., #801
Washington, DC 20036
Jaime Steve
<jsteve@awea.org>
American Wind Energy Association
1101 14th Street, N.W.; 12th floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Bill Ball
<bill@stellarsun.com>
Arkansas Renewable Energy Association
2121 Watt St
Little Rock, AR 72227-4035
Bob Lawrence
<boblaw424@aol.com>
Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc.
345 South Patrick Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Lisa Jacobson, Executive Director
<ljacobson@bcse.org>
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
1400 I Street, NW; Suite 1260
Washington, DC 20005
Jennifer Schafer
<jasca@bellatlantic.net>
Cascade Associates
499 South Capitol Street, S.W.; Suite #606
Washington, D.C. 20003
Charlie Higley, Executive Director
<higley@wiscub.org>
Citizens Utility Board
16 North Carroll Street, Suite 720
Madison, WI 53703
Leslie Glustrom
<lglustrom@qwest.net>
Clean Energy Action
4492 Burr Place
Boulder, CO 80303
Doug Durante
<Durantes@aol.com>
Clean Fuels Development Coalition
4641 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 350
Bethesda, MD 20814
George Burmeister
<COEnergyGroup@aol.com>
Colorado Energy Group
2222 Holyoke Drive
Boulder, CO 80305
Steve Chadima
<steve@energyinnovations.com>
Energy Innovations
130 West Union Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
Joel N. Gordes
<nyseia@earthlink.net>
Environmental Energy Solutions
38 Brookmoor Rd.
West Hartford, CT 06107
Karl Gawell, Executive Director
<karl@geo-energy.org>
Geothermal Energy Association
209 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
Ted. J. Clutter
<tclutter@geothermal.org>
Geothermal Resources Council
P.O. Box 1350
Davis, CA 95616
Mary Luevano, Policy and Legislative Affairs Director <mluevano@globalgreen.org> Global Green USA 2218 Main Street, 2nd Floor Santa Monica, CA 90405
John Coequyt
<john.coequyt@wdc.greenpeace.org>
Greenpeace USA
702 "H" Street, N.W.; Suite #300
Washington, DC 20001
Hoyt Hudson, President
<hoyt.hudson@mainstayenergy.com>
Mainstay Energy
161 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 41B
Chicago, IL 60611-2624
Brad Heavner, Director
c/o <cfick@marypirg.org>
MaryPIRG
3121 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Rex Luzader
<Luzader@millenniumcell.com>
Millennium Cell
One Industrial Way W.
Eatontown, NJ 07724
Brownie Carson
<bcarson@nrcm.org>
Natural Resources Council of Maine
3 Wade Street
Augusta, Maine 04330
David Radcliff
<dradcliff@newcommunityproject.org>
New Community Project
Elgin, IL
Bill Holmberg, Chair
biorefiner@aol.com
New Uses Council
2816 Claudia Court
Vienna, VA 22180
Liz Merry, President
<lmerry1@yahoo.com>
NorCal Solar
P.O. Box 3008
Berkeley, CA 94703
Dennis F. Miller, Chief Scientist and Vice President <DMiller@solenagroup.com> Solena Group, Inc. 1900 "K" Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006
Scott Sklar, President
<solarsklar@aol.com>
The Stella Group, Ltd.
1616 "H" Street, N.W.; 10th floor
Washington, D.C. 20006-4999
Rona Fried
<rona@sustainablebusiness.com>
SustainableBusiness.com
231 West Pulaski Road
Huntington Station, NY 11746
Marchant Wentworth, Washington Representative for Clean Energy <mwentworth@ucsusa.org> Union of Concerned Scientists 1707 H St NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006-3962
Barbara Duncan, Executive Director <vt.earth.institute@valley.net> Vermont Earth Institute P.O. Box 466 Norwich, VT 05055
Beth Sachs
<BSachs@veic.org>
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
255 South Champlain Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Janet Brandt, Executive Director
<jbrandt@weccusa.org>
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation
211 South Paterson Street, 3rd floor
Madison, WI 53703
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