Senate Appropriations Committee Provides Funding Boost for Energy Research

With the new federal fiscal year beginning on October 1^st, the Senate Committee on Appropriations voted last week to approve a fiscal year 2020 Energy and Water Development bill, which includes funding for the research activities of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  House leader’s passed a similar package earlier this year, but House and Senate leaders now have little time to come to agreement on final spending. 
 
The Department of Energy (DOE) is the largest single provider of funding for basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Senate’s legislation includes just over $39 billion in total funding for the Department of Energy, versus $37.08 billion in the House package. R&D funding highlights of the Senate’s package include:
 

• $7.22 billion for the DOE Office of Science (+9.7 percent); the House voted to approve $6.87 billion (+4.4 percent).
• $2.80 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (+18 percent); the House voted to approve $2.66 billion (+12 percent).
• $380 million for the DOE Office of Advanced Manufacturing (+18.7 percent); the House approved $360 million (+12.5 percent).
• $428 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (+17 percent); the House approved $425 million (+16 percent).
• $1.51 billion for the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy R&D (+15 percent); the House approved $1.32 billion, the same as last year.
• $800 million for the DOE Office of Fossil Energy R&D (+8 percent); the House approved $739 million, a $1.0 million decrease from last year.

 
The increase in funding for DOE is largely focused on computing, light-source, and building infrastructure as well as infrastructure related to the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility / Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. In the area of advanced manufacturing, the Senate recommended funding of $25 million for the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility and $28 million to support the two Clean Energy Manufacturing Institutes managed by the DOE - $14,000,000 for the Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute and $14,000,000 for the Cybersecurity Institute for Energy Efficient Manufacturing.
 
To read the Senate Committee on Appropriations report on S. 2470, visit: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FY2020%20Energy%20and%20Water%20Development%20Appropriations%20Act,%20Report%20116-102.pdf.
 
For the full bill text, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2470