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News and updates

Month: May 2009

DOE Announces Recovery Act Grant Competitions for Biofuels Projects

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Recovery Act Announcement: Secretary Chu Announces Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization
As part of the ongoing effort to increase the use of domestic renewable fuels, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced plans to provide $786.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate advanced biofuels research and development and to provide additional funding for commercial-scale biorefinery demonstration projects.

“Developing the next generation of biofuels is key to our effort to end our dependence on foreign oil and address the climate crisis—while creating millions of new jobs that can’t be outsourced,” Secretary Chu said. “With American investment and ingenuity—and resources grown right here at home—we can lead the way toward a new green energy economy.”

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program will leverage DOE’s national laboratories, universities, and the private sector to help improve biofuels reliability and overcome key technical challenges, with the goal of creating third-generation biofuels like green gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels.

The $786.5 million in Recovery Act funding is a mix of new funding opportunities and additional funding for existing projects. It will be allocated across four main areas. Continue reading “DOE Announces Recovery Act Grant Competitions for Biofuels Projects”

President’s FY10 Budget Request Set to be Released

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On Thursday May 7th President Obama’s FY10 Budget Request (a.k.a. PBR) will be formally released. Federal agencies will begin holding briefings on the contents of their budget proposals. The UW Office of Federal Relations will provide full coverage, on this website, of the components of the FY10 PBR that are of interest to the higher education community in general and UW in particular.

This Week on the Hill: May 4-8

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TUESDAY AND REMAINDER OF THE WEEK

House

Convenes 10:30 a.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. No votes expected Friday.

Under suspension of the rules:

HR 774 , HR 1397 , HR 1271 — Facility namings

H Res 299 — Honoring public servants

H Res 382 — Charter Schools Week

H Res 338 — Community College Month

H Res 348 — NCAA men’s basketball

H Res 353 — Global Youth Service Days

S 386 — Fraud enforcement

Subject to a rule:

HR 1728 — Mortgage lending overhaul

 

Senate

MONDAY

Convenes 2:30 p.m.

S 896 — Housing bill

TUESDAY AND REMAINDER OF THE WEEK

S 414 — Credit card regulation

 

Markups

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs votes on Homeland Security nominations. 5:30 p.m. Monday, S-216 Capitol

 

Senate Finance votes on nomination of Alan Krueger to be assistant secretary of the Treasury for economic policy. Time TBA Tuesday, 215 Dirksen

 

House Education and Labor marks up legislation regarding grants to modernize school facilities ( HR 2187 ). 10 a.m. Wednesday, 2175 Rayburn

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources marks up draft legislation on electricity transmission facility siting, energy finance and nuclear energy. 10 a.m. Wednesday, 366 Dirksen

 

Senate Judiciary marks up legislation regarding state secrets ( S 417 ), consumer credit ( S 257 ), classified information ( S 448 ) and assistance to victims of domestic violence ( S 327 ); also votes on nominations. 10 a.m. Thursday, 226 Dirksen

 

Hearing Highlights

House Ways and Means hearing on health care overhaul with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius . 10 a.m. Wednesday, 1100 Longworth

 

Senate Judiciary oversight hearing on the Department of Homeland Security and immigration issues with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano . 10 a.m. Wednesday, 106 Dirksen

 

 

Seen in DC

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Even though the appropriations application process is completed, and the stimulus package is being implemented, the Office of Federal Relations continues to welcome university representatives who are in Washington DC for meetings or who want to speak with Capitol Hill staff and/or agency representatives concerning the projects that their college is involved in.

Norm Arkans, Associate Vice President for Media Relations and Communications, was in DC the end of March to attend a public affairs network meeting hosted by the Association of American Universities (AAU).

Dennis Lettenmaier, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was in DC to attend a meeting, and stopped by the Federal Relations office to speak to Jonathan Nurse about NASA and NOAA funding.

Provost Phyllis Wise, Provost, was in DC on business March 30 and 31, and visited the Federal Relations Office while she was here to meet with Director Christy Gullion.

President Mark Emmert returned to DC in April to attend a workforce meeting of the Association of American Universities.  After the meeting, he met with some of the Washington State legislators, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Dick Sprott, Director of the Ellison Medical Foundation, and was interviewed by Susan Kinzie at the Washington Post regarding the effect of the economic crisis on the university.  He thanked the Members for their support during the appropriations process and discussed the university’s economic situation.

Also in April  Bruce Bare, Dean of Forest Resources, Jerry Franklin, Professor, and Ivan Easin, Professor and Director of CINTRAFOR, arrived to discuss university forest resource projects.  In particular, they discusssed the Olympic Natural Resources Center, the Wind River Experimental Forest, and CINTRAFOR.  Visits included Capitol Hill staff, USDA, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee staffer, and the National Science Foundation.

Student Advocates for Graduate Education (SAGE), whose members number 10 public institutions of higher learning, was in DC April 28th and 29th.  The University of Washington was represented by Nicholas Nasrallah, Jake Faleschini, and Jean-Paul Willynck.  They spoke to staff in several Congressional offices to request support for changes in the federal loan repayment program and to request fellowship grants be treated as qualified scholarships for tax purposes.

Note:  Please contact the UW Office of Federal Relations for assistance in scheuling visits to the Washington state delegation offices (202-624-1420).