House Passes Energy-Water Appropriations Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the fiscal 2012 energy-water appropriations bill on July 15. The bill provides $30.6 billion to fund the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, and a number of regional water and electricity authorities. The total is almost $6 billion less than what President Barack Obama had requested and $1 billion less than the fiscal 2011 appropriation. In the bill, DOE is slated to receive $24.7 billion, a 3% cut from current funding. Within DOE’s allotment of funds, $1.3 billion is dedicated to renewable-energy and energy-efficiency programs, 59% less than the President’s request. The House also endorsed an amendment to the bill by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) that would provide an $80 million boost for the research activities of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, for a total 2012 budget of $180 million. The legislation also contains language both to prevent the Obama Administration from using the bill’s funding to close the nuclear waste storage site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and to provide $45 million for work on the Yucca Mountain project. The bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.