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Category: Energy R&D

Details of Energy and Water Spending Bill Available

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Details contained in the conference report for the FY2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill are now available.

As noted previously, the bill would support the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science at approximately $6.59 billion.  The office is currently funded at $6.26 billion and the Trump Administration requested $5.39 billion.  If passed and signed into law, the measure would fund a number of programs of interest housed at the Office of Science in the following manner:

  • Advanced Scientific Computing Research– $935.5 million ($810.0 million in FY2018 and $899.0 million requested from Administration)
  • Basic Energy Sciences– $2.17 billion (FY2018: $2.09 billion; request: $1.85 billion)
  • Biological and Environmental Research– $705.0 million (FY2018: $673.0 million; request: $500.0 million)
  • Fusion– $564.0 million, including $432.0 million for research and $132.0 million for ITER (FY2018:  $410.0 million for research and $122.0 for ITER; request:  $265 million for research and $75 million for ITER)
  • High Energy Physics– $980.0 million (FY2018:  $908.0 million; request:  $770.0 million)
  • Nuclear Physics– $690.0 million (FY2018:  $684.0 million; request:  $600.0 million)

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account would be funded at $2.38 billion under this bill.  It is currently funded at $2.32 billion and the Administration requested $695 million for FY2019.

The conference report is available here.

 

Agreement Reached on First FY2019 Minibus

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As October 1, the start of FY2019, approaches, House and Senate negotiators have agreed to a compromise on the first package of spending bills.  The first “minibus” includes the FY2019 Energy and Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills.

The text of the compromise bill is available here.  The text of the conference report, which contains additional details, is provided here.

Included in the $147.5-billion package is $6.59 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, which is an increase of $325 million above the current level.  The agreement would also provide $366 million for the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, an increase of $13 million, or 3.7 percent.  The DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account would see an increase of $57 million for a total of approximately $2.4 billion.

While the timing could slip a bit, the Senate could take up the measure as soon as Thursday, with the House following suit on Friday.

Discussions are currently underway on two other minibuses, one of which is a combined package of the defense and health and education bills.

 

OSTP Nominee Confirmed by Senate Committee

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The scientist nominated by President Trump to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Kelvin Droegemeier, was approved yesterday by the Senate Commerce Committee.  Droegemeier, currently Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma, was tapped to head the office in August.  A severe weather scientist, he was a member of the National Science Board under both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Read more about him and the nomination here and here.

 

Progress as Deadline on Spending Bills Approaches?

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Even as most of the national media is focused on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings as Congress returns to work this week, we could see progress on the appropriations front.  The next fiscal year, FY2019, starts October 1 and none of the 12 spending bills have been signed into law so far.

Although hurdles still remain, it appears that House and Senate negotiators are making progress on a package of three bills– made up of the Energy and Water Development, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch measures– as they get ready to formally meet as a conference committee later today.  At the same time, on a separate track, there appears to be movement on a second package of bills, which contains the Labor-Health and Human Services and Defense bills, which are the two largest spending measures.

Both chambers have agreed to their respective versions of the three-bill package and negotiators must hash out the differences.

On the other hand, while the defense bill has been passed by both houses, only the Senate has been able to move on the Labor-HHS measure.  Because the House version of the latter bill is viewed by some as being much more controversial than the Senate version with respect to policy provisions contained in it, it will not be brought to the House floor for a vote.  Instead, the House agreed yesterday to go to conference with the Senate on the two-bill package without the full House having considered the Labor-HHS bill.  In addition, negotiations between the two sides have begun on the contours of a package.

Congressional leadership hopes to get these five bills signed into law before October 1.  The current thinking is that programs funded through spending bills not adopted by the start of FY2019 would be funded on a short-term basis through a continuing resolution until the other measures can be signed into law.

 

Progress and Potential Stumbling Blocks Seen on FY2019 Spending

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While the House is now enjoying its five-week long August recess, the Senate still remains in session this week and appears to be on track to pass a four-bill spending package by Friday. The measure will include Senate versions of two House-passed bills– Interior and Financial Services– as well as the Agriculture and Transportation-Housing Urban Development bills.  If the Senate approves the four-bill vehicle, it will have cleared seven of the 12 spending bills for FY2019, while the House has adopted six to date.

While each chamber continues to make progress on its own versions of bills, potential stumbling blocks to bills being signed into law remain.  For example, while the two chambers are currently trying to reach an agreement on an already-adopted package of three bills– Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs– progress has been halted because the two sides cannot agree on the amount of money that is available for each bill.

In addition, President Trump earlier this week tweeted that he would advocate for a government shutdown if he does not get what he wants on “border security.”  This comes after Republican Congressional leaders earlier stated that they would not support such a move.  It remains unclear what the president ultimately wants.