Last week we wrote to you about an important environmental funding bill moving out of Committee. Today the House Appropriations Committee will continue its work by marking up the Fiscal Year 2021 Energy and Water Development Funding Bill.
These “markups” in the House can sometimes fly under the radar, but they are actually crucial opportunities for pro-environmental Congresspeople in the House to advocate for investments in sustainable priorities and fight back against draconian cuts from President Trump.
For example: President Trump proposed $0 for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) that researches new clean energy technologies. This bill fights back, proposing an increased budget of $10 million from last year’s $425 million.
The legislation also saves the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, which President Trump also proposed zeroing out with $0 of requested funding. In total, this measure would allocate $2.85 billion to energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts — an increase of $58 million.
The funding bill also provides $3.13 billion to accelerate nuclear cleanup work, $315 million for non-defense environmental cleanup, and so much more.
The truth is so much work in protecting our environment happens outside the spotlight, through budget proposals and lengthy legislation. SEEC Members in Congress work tirelessly to advocate for environmental priorities in every appropriation bill and in legislation across the Congressional agenda..