TRP Clean Energy Report

On July 10, the House voted 253-70 to approve a fiscal 2015 Energy-Water appropriations bill (H.R.4923) after a marathon session that featured debate and votes on a series of amendments. Overall, the $34 billion Energy-Water appropriations bill would give the EPA $7.5 billion for fiscal 2015, 9 percent below current spending levels. It would also provide the Army Corps with $5.5 billion and fund $10.3 billion in DOE energy and science programs, with cuts to clean energy spending compared to the President's budget request. The bill included a prohibition against using EPA funds to work on the Administration’s Clean Power plan, which seeks to limit carbon dioxide pollution from power plants.

Debate over the Energy-Water appropriations bill featured consideration of dozens of amendments, including:

• An amendment to increase the Department of Energy’s Water Power program funding by $9 million (passed 221-199).
• An amendment to increase funding for clean-energy and energy-efficiency programs by $111.6 million and reduce funding for research to advance fossil fuels by $161.9 million (failed 172- 245).
• An amendment to prevent any funds being used to administer the DOE’s loan program (failed 140-282).
• An amendment to block a $150 million loan guarantee to develop the nation's first offshore wind farm in Massachusetts (passed by voice vote).
• A amendment known as the ‘light bulb rider,” to prevent DOE from enforcing efficiency standards enacted as part of the 2007 energy law (passed 226-193).
• An amendment to block funding for DOE climate modeling efforts (passed 226-194).
• An amendment to determine the Administration's social-cost-of-carbon calculation in evaluating liquefied natural gas exports (passed by voice vote).

The next steps on the Energy-Water appropriations bill remain unclear. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said the House-passed bill will not be taken-up in the Senate, which has abandoned plans to pass its own Energy-Water spending bill. The White House has also issued a veto threat against the measure, citing controversial provisions that limit environmental regulations. The Senate has yet to approve any appropriations bills, making it likely that Congress will need to pass a short-term continuing resolution by Sept. 30 or risk another government shutdown (E&E News, Juliano, 7/11; The Hill, Cama, 7/08).

The full edition of this week's Thorn Run Partner's Federal Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Update is available here.