The Department of Energy today released two reports assessing US ocean wave and tidal energy resources along the US Coasts. DOE reports that the two assessments, combined with ongoing analyses of technologies and other resource assessments, show that water power, including conventional hydropower, and wave, tidal, and other water power resources, can potentially provide 15 percent of our nation’s electricity by 2030.

The reports are the most rigorous assessments thus far undertaken by DOE and its collaborative partners, including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation.

The DOE reports may be accessed here:

“Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource”

“Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States”

The House released its Energy & Water Appropriations bill for FY12 today.  The bill provides a total $30.7 billion for the Energy Department and federal water projects in FY12, $5.9 billion (16 percent) less than requested by the President and $1.7 billion (5 percent) less than FY11 enacted totals.  The bill provides an additional $1 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for emergency disaster relief in areas affected by storms, tornadoes and flooding in the Mississippi and Missouri River basins.  The funding is designated as “emergency” and does not count against the bill’s total appropriated amount.

Historically, energy- and water-related appropriations have been mostly noncontroversial and most bills have been enacted with wide margins of support by both parties.  This year, however, a number of key disputes have arisen out of the push by the House leadership to significantly reduce spending.  The disputes have centered on Republican attempts to reduce funds for general science, renewable energy, nuclear nonproliferation, advanced energy research, renewable-energy development, and a provision prohibiting the use of funds provided by the bill to supplement Clean Water Act-related regulations.

Programs of interest to UW:

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)

The bill provides $1.3 billion for Energy Department energy efficiency and renewable-energy programs — $1.8 billion or 59 percent less than the President’s request and $491 million or 27 percent less than the FY11 enacted level.

Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E)

The bill provides $100 million for ARPA-E programs — $80 million or 44 percent less than the current level and $450 million or 81 percent less than the President’s request.

Science

The bill provides $4.8 billion for the science account, which funds the Energy Department’s work on basic energy research, nuclear physics, chemistry, biological and environmental sciences, fusion, and other related endeavors.  The appropriation is $616 million or 13 percent less than the administration’s request and $43 million or 1 percent less than the current level.

Congressional Schedule:  The House is in recess this week and the Senate is scheduled for recess next week (week of July 4^th).  The House has another recess scheduled for the week of July 18^th, and both chambers have recess scheduled for the month on August (August 8^th through September 6^th).

Debt Negotiations Continue:  Yesterday, President Obama used a White House news conference to urge lawmakers to “do their job” and make the “tough choices” needed to get the nation’s fiscal house in order as the August 2^nd deadline for raising the debt ceiling approaches.  He said those choices might include a Medicare overhaul, cuts in defense spending, and increasing taxes.  Calling the early August date a “hard deadline,” Obama said lawmakers should scrap any recesses until they hammer out a budget deal.  The House has been in recess this week and has another recess schedule for the week of July 18^th.  The Senate is scheduled to be in recess next week.

Appropriations Update:  The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold its first markup of FY12 spending legislation today, starting with the least controversial of the 12 annual bills — the measure funding veterans’ programs and military construction.   The House passed its FY12 Military Construction-VA bill on June 14^th.  Additionally, the House has already approved FY12 bills for Agriculture and Homeland Security, and the Defense and Financial Services bills have been approved by committee and are ready for floor action. 

Pell Grant Program Vulnerable:  Amid a political climate in congress where virtually every corner of federal spending is in jeopardy, the Administration says it wants to protect Pell grants for low-income college students.   But the quasi-entitlement program faces a huge funding shortfall for FY12 and has become a tempting target for Republican budget hawks, who say that it is a prime example of overspending and “promises we can’t keep.”  Those close to talks on a debt reduction deal are saying little about which programs are likely to be on the chopping block, but education experts say the large increases required to sustain the Pell grant program make it particularly vulnerable.

The Pell grant program is one of the federal government’s largest education initiatives, and has been one of President’s top priorities.  The program faces a shortfall each year because it is partially funded through discretionary spending, not just mandatory dollars that would sustain it automatically.  With the economic difficulties of the past few years, more people are qualifying for the grant and more people are going back to school to earn degrees, leaving the program strapped for cash.  Program costs have more than doubled since 2008, from $16 billion to an estimated $35 billion in FY12.  In order to maintain the current $5,550 maximum award, lawmakers must make up for an estimated $11 billion shortfall.  Lawmakers in both parties are looking at proposals to restructure the Pell grant program to reduce costs, but those decisions are unlikely to be made until after the White House and congressional leaders negotiate a deficit reduction plan.

Bipartisan Support for Tax Reform:  Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee sounded a rare bipartisan note Wednesday on a tax issue.  They called for scrapping the current code and replacing it with a far simpler one that would help increase federal revenue.  Lawmakers said making it easier for individuals and businesses to pay taxes would go a long way toward closing the $300 billion gap between taxes actually owed and those that are paid.  The remarks came at the latest in a series of Senate Finance hearings on rewriting the tax code.

Congressional Pay Freeze:  Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced nearly 20 pieces of legislation this year to try and slash or freeze their own paychecks for 2013.  Attacks on their six-figure salaries have become increasingly popular in recent years, as members face the wrath of constituents dissatisfied with the state of the economy and often plagued by personal financial challenges themselves.  With heated discussions under way on whether to raise the debt ceiling by August 2^nd, several lawmakers have introduced bills that would nix any congressional increase in pay for every year that the government runs a deficit.  The last pay increase members received was in 2009, when they got a 2.8 percent raise.  The House and Senate have frozen their salaries for 2011 and 2012 at $174,000.  But pay raises for 2013 are still in order.  Members of Congress, under current law, automatically receive a cost-of-living pay adjustment each year unless they vote against it, as they’ve done each year since 2010. 

Immigration Reform Legislation Begins to Emerge:  On June 22 Senator Menendez (D-NJ) reintroduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 (S 1258).  As in past years, his legislation focuses primarily on issues such as border security and guest worker visas, but it also includes language that would exempt individuals with an “advanced degree” in a science, math, or engineering field from visa caps.  Meanwhile, on June 14 Congresswoman Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the Immigration Driving Entrepreneurship in America (IDEA) Act of 2011 (HR 2161), which would ease green-card applications for non-immigrants with advanced STEM degrees, but would also protect fair wages.  The primary legislative driver, however, for comprehensive immigration reform in the Congress is the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2011, also known as the DREAM Act of 2011, which does not address foreign nationals studying in a STEM field.  The DREAM Act has been reintroduced in both the House (HR 1842) and the Senate (S 952).

DOE Offers $120 Million to Support Innovative Manufacturing Processes:  As part the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership launched June 24^th by President Obama, the Department of Energy is offering an investment of up to $120 million over three years to develop transformational manufacturing technologies and innovative materials.  The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership is a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies that will create high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance US competitiveness.  For more information, see the funding opportunity announcement and the DOE press release.

Navy Increases Support for STEM Education:  Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the Navy’s commitment to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.  The Navy will increase funding for STEM education initiatives from $54 million in 2010 to over $100 million by 2015. The Navy views this as an investment in its future workforce.

The House Appropriations Committee today released the FY12 Energy and Water and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which will be considered in the Energy and Water Subcommittee tomorrow.
 
The legislation provides the annual funding for the various agencies and programs under the Department of Energy, including the Office of Science, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and various regional water and power authorities. The bill released today totals $30.6 billion – a cut of $5.9 billion below the President’s FY12 request and $1 billion below FY11 enacted levels – which brings the total cost of the bill to nearly the FY06 funding level.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): The bill provides $1.3 billion total, $491 million below the FY11 enacted level and $1.9 billion below the President’s request. Of note:

• Solar Energy: The bill provides $166 million total, $97 million below the FY11 enacted level and $291 million below the President’s request.
• Fuel Efficient Vehicle Technologies: The bill provides $254 million total, $46 million below the FY11 enacted level and -$334 million below the President’s request. These funds are used to improve fuel efficiency with better engines, better batteries and engines that burn clean, domestic fuel. The bill also reduces Vehicle Technology Deployment by more than $200 million, a program which expands electric transportation initiatives.
• Building Technologies: The bill provides $150 million total, $61 million below the FY11 enacted level and $321 million below the President’s request. These funds are used to research energy-efficient technologies in buildings which account for roughly 40% of all US energy use. The bill also proves no funds for the Race to the Green competitive grant program which incentives streamlined energy efficiency regulations, codes and performance standards through a competitive grant process.
• Biomass and Bio-Refinery Research and Development: The bill provides $150 million total, $33 million below the FY11 enacted level and $191 billion below the President’s request.
• Weatherization Assistance: The bill provides $33 million total, $141 million below the FY11 enacted level and $287 million below the President’s request.

View the FY12 Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Summary Table here.

Last month, Congressman Dave Reichert visited the University of Washington to learn more about our efforts to construct a tidal energy test facility in Puget Sound.   He received a great briefing from Brian Polagye and Jim Thomson, and then toured the R/V Robertson.  While on campus, we put together a short video of the Congressman’s visit, which you can watch here.

Today, President Obama released a $3.73 trillion budget request for FY12. The White House estimates that the request and projections for spending in the out-years would reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. Despite reductions in overall spending, the request contains significant increases for research and development as well as some education programs.

National Institutes of Health- $31.8 billion, an increase of 3.3% over the FY10 level of $30.8 billion

White House/Office of Management and Budget HHS FY12 Budget Summary

National Science Foundation- $7.77 billion, an increase of 13% over the FY10 level of $6.87 billion –keeping the agency on track for a 10-year (FY08-FY17) doubling that is authorized in last year’s America COMPETES Act

NSF FY12 Budget Materials

Department of Energy, Office of Science- $5.4 billion, an increase of 10.2% over the FY10 level of $4.9 billion –keeping the agency on track for a 10-year (FY08-FY17) doubling that is authorized in last year’s America COMPETES Act. $550 million is also included for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to continue support for the promising early-stage research projects that could deliver game-changing clean energy technologies.

DoE FY12 Budget Materials

Department of Defense, Science and Technology- $12.2 billion for science and technology programs, which includes a 2% real growth in basic research

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency- $5.5 billion, an increase of 14.3% over the FY10 level of $4.85 billion

White House/Office of Management and Budget Department of Commerce FY12 Budget Summary

Department of Education-

• Continues support for a $5,550 maximum Pell Grant award, $819 above the level in 2008, largely paid for by eliminating the year-round Pell Grant and the in-school interest subsidy for graduate and professional student loans
• Invests $26.8 billion, an increase of 6.9 percent, in a reformed Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) focused on raising standards, encouraging innovation, and rewarding success, while allowing States and districts more flexibility to invest resources where they will have the greatest impact. The new ESEA directs funds to reform-oriented competitive initiatives, consolidates dozens of programs, and cuts programs that do not demand results.
• Provides $1.4 billion for new competitions, modeled on the Race to the Top initiative, to strengthen and reform early childhood education, improve district performance in elementary and secondary education, and improve outcomes in higher education

Department of Education FY12 Budget Materials

National Endowment for the Humanities- $146 million, a decrease of 13% from the FY10 level of $168 million

NEH FY12 Budget Summary

Additional information on President Obama’s FY12 budget request will be posted as it becomes available. The release of the President’s Budget Request (PBR) is the first step in appropriations process for the coming year. After Congress and the President settle on a path forward for FY11 — which began on October 1, 2010 — the FY12 process will begin to move forward.

In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama urged Congress to invest in critical priorities, reorganize the government, and begin addressing growing debt and deficits in order to ensure US success in the future. Obama proposed increased spending on education, infrastructure, and research and technology — particularly clean energy technology — that the President said would both create jobs and enhance US competitiveness in the world.

 “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” he said. “We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit, and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future.”

The promise of technology heavily underpinned the President’s address, as he emphasized the importance of clean tech, broadband, and science education in achieving his goal. He made the case for continued investment in research funding, and a renewed commitment to immigration reform that’s designed to keep talented foreign workers in the country.

While this all sounds encouraging for the research and higher education communities, the President proposes to pay for those investments by cutting other domestic programs.  He is proposing a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending, which he said would save more than $400 billion over 10 years and bring discretionary spending to the lowest level as a share of the economy since the Eisenhower administration. It remains to be seen whether the President can actually motivate Congress into acting on his proposals, some of which appeared in Obama’s prior State of the Union addresses. It was in 2010 that the president sounded similar notes on innovation, taxes and trade, but those reforms often lagged in a Congress more focused on other big-ticket items like healthcare.

One surprise in the President’s address was his threat to veto any legislation that includes earmarks, essentially closing the door on any earmarks for FY12. Democrats in the Senate denounced the President’s call as a power grab that will have little-to-no impact on the federal budget deficit.

But the reality is that Democrats face a political climate that makes it virtually impossible to get any earmarks through this Congress if Obama and Republicans in congress maintain their opposition. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has already said that no appropriations bills with earmarks will pass the House, and Senate Republicans have also embraced a moratorium on the pet projects. That means House Republicans, Senate Republicans, and the President would have to cave in if any earmarks are to become law this year.

In other budget news, the House Republicans on Tuesday moved forward in their push to sharply reduce spending and draw contrasts with President Obama’s budget priorities. They adopted a resolution calling for non-security discretionary spending to be cut to FY08 levels or less for the last seven months of FY11. House Republican leaders also announced that they are planning to bring a government funding measure to the floor the same week the president is expected to release his budget (week of February 14^th). During that same week, the House will also consider another stopgap spending measure to fund the government for the remainder of FY11. The current stopgap funding expires March 4th.

The Office of Federal Relations is closely monitoring all of these events and will provide additional information on this site as it becomes available. In the meantime, we are anticipating major programmatic cuts in the President’s FY12 Budget and are currently developing materials to defend those federal programs that the UW works with the most.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a group of 174 House Republicans “organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives,” has released a proposal containing an estimated $2.5 trillion (over 10 years) of spending cuts. It is expected that the package will be debated and voted on in the House before the current continuing resolution expires on March 4th. Items of particular note in the proposal include elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as elimination of Recovery Act funding that has yet to be allocated and applied research within the Department of Energy.

The proposal is only one of many circulating on the Hill right now, but provides some insight into how a significant portion of the House wishes to proceed on the budget.

RSC summary and list of programs targeted for elimination 

Yesterday, the commission tasked by President Obama to examine the BP Deepwater Horizon undersea accident of last spring released its findings and recommendations. The commission addressed a range of topics from the need for increased regulation to funding for oil spill research to long-term restoration of the Gulf. 

Some of the ideas offered:

• Create a distinct environmental science office within the Department of Interior;
• Formalize the role of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in offering input on  environmental protection in Interior leasing decisions;
• Assign responsibility for congressional oversight of drilling safety and environmental protection to one specific committee in each chamber and require annual oversight hearings;
• Provide mandatory funding for oil spill research and response technology at a level equal to or greater than that authorized by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990;
• Significantly increase the Oil Pollution Act’s liability cap and financial responsibility requirements for offshore facilities;
• Dedicate 80% of any Clean Water Act penalties from the Deepwater Horizon spill to long-term restoration of the Gulf of Mexico; and
• Along with federal agencies and responsible parties, take steps to restore consumer confidence in the aftermath of a significant spill.

It is expected that Congress will again try to assemble an oil spill bill. During the previous Congress, ideological differences over government regulation and the liability cap hampered efforts to pass a bill. Previous drafts have contained significant investments in research and development, and we will push for those provisions to remain in the mix going forward.

**12/21 Update** Today, the House passed the America COMPETES Act, as already agreed to in the Senate. The legislation now goes to the President, who is expected to sign it. Additional details will be provided shortly

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On December 17th, in somewhat of a surprise move, the Senate voted to pass the America COMPETES Act. The legislation had been sidelined for weeks by a crowded agenda for the current lame duck session of Congress as well as over concerns that the spending levels authorized were too large in light of the federal budget deficit. COMPETES authorizes annual budget increases for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. While passage of COMPETES is certainly a positive development, there is no guarantee that the annual appropriations process will keep the agencies funded at the levels authorized.

From the Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray

Senator Murray Applauds Passage of Bill to Strengthen Science and Math Programs in Washington State Schools

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded the passage of a bill that will strengthen and expand science and mathematics programs in schools in Washington state and across the country. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 includes provisions to expand science and mathematics programs at all points in our education system. Additionally, the Act directs business and the federal government to coordinate with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs to help create innovative educational opportunities, increase research investment, and improve economic competitiveness.

“Thanks to ground-breaking educational programs, Washington state is home to some of the world’s most innovative workers, businesses, and schools. However, we must continue developing new programs and applying more resources if we want our workers to be competitive in the global economy,” said Senator Murray. “This bill will help America’s workers continue to compete, and will direct the government to use available tools to strengthen educational opportunities and increase investments in research projects that will benefit future generations.”

The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 will:

• Increase research investment;
• Strengthen educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from elementary through graduate school; and
• Develop an infrastructure that will enhance innovation and competitiveness in the United States.

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