Budgets aims cuts to energy innovation
On Monday, the White House unveiled its budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 which has a lot to talk about, but one of the highlights of the proposal includes a proposed cut to loan and research programs within the Department of Energy.
According to The Hill, those programs assist with developing new and innovative energy technologies. Last year, the president sought to completely defund some of the programs, but Congress restored some of the funding.
In summary the president seeks a $1.18 billion cut to the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office while proposing $281 million boost to the Fossil Energy office.
Trump is asking for $816 million for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office, a cut of $1.18 billion from current levels. Meanwhile, the Fossil Energy office would get $702 million, $281 million above its current budget.
“These funding cuts would put at risk the nation’s competitive position in the global marketplace for clean energy, advanced vehicle technologies, and energy efficiency,” said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Kim Glas in a statement. “Furthermore, the president has for the second year in a row requested cutting the funding for — or outright eliminating — key programs designed to help communities rebuild after the closings of coal mines and coal-fired power plants.”
Unlikely bipartisanship
Hidden in the spending bill Congress passed last week, Democrats and Republicans senators included a tax credit which incentivizes carbon capture technologies for coal plants and other facilities according to Axios.
The credit was first conceived in 2008 and it was extended for another 12 years under the recently approved budget bill, which industry experts hope will increase deployment of the innovative, but hefty priced technology.
The bill is important as it provides a route for the highly-emissive coal-powered plants to implement new technology that can enable them to cut greenhouse gas emissions and also help the industry’s long-term viability.
Wyoming v. Washington
Speaking of the future of coal, state lawmakers from Wyoming are considering a bill that would increase funds to pay for challenging permit denials by the state of Washington.
As ThinkProgress reports, last fall Washington state regulators denied a permit that would have paved the way for the country’s largest coal export terminal after public health officials and environmental groups fought against that effort.
Wyoming legislators are considering setting aside $250,000 in state funds to be used to retain lawyers and fund lawsuits to the permit denial in the state of Washington.
According to ThinkProgress, the bill’s authors argue that by denying permits for coal export terminals, Washington regulators violated the U.S. Constitution by according to them interfering with both interstate commerce and commerce with foreign nations.