Budgeted Energy | Green Energy News

February 6, 2005 – Vol.9 No.46

BUDGETED ENERGY.

President Bush has submitted his multi-trillion budget request for fiscal year 2006. (Be reminded it is not set in stone. It is just a request. It is Congress that holds the nation’s credit card.)

In regards to green energy some are happy with the request. Some not.

--- The Sustainable Energy Coalition sees cuts in the budget for renewable and energy efficiency programs as penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Nearly $50 million would be cut from programs related to distributed energy, geothermal energy, energy-efficient buildings, biofuels, industrial energy efficiency and hydropower, they say.

The Coalition says the cuts would be bad for jobs, the economy, the development of new industries, homeland and national security, the environment and public health.

--- The American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) expresses its disappointment in the $20 million cut in 2005 for energy efficiency programs.

The ACEEE thinks energy efficiency is the best remedy for high oil and natural gas prices and believes funding should be increased in programs such as Energy Star (tm), jointly developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Energy Star is a branding program for energy-efficient appliances and other goods which helps lead to their development and sale to consumers. Visit the ACEEE at http://aceee.org/ .

--- The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) is also disappointed. The group’s president, Kateri Callahan, echoes the comments by the ACEEE.

In a press release Callahan said, "Studies demonstrate that every dollar invested in DOE-administered energy-efficiency R&D returns $20 to the nation's economy. And every dollar invested in EPA's Energy Star program cuts energy costs by $75 and sparks $15 of investment in new efficiency technologies." Visit the ASE at http://www.ase.org/

--- However, the U.S. Fuel Cell Council is mostly happy with the budget proposal. Under it $322 million could be spent in FY 2006 for hydrogen and fuel cell programs, an increase of more than $20 million over 2005.

Still one area gets the ax, fuel cells for distributed generation (such as for a home). The budget would cut more than $9 million from those programs. Visit the USFCC at http://www.usfcc.com/ .