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Correction:
Value-Added Producer Grant Program Receives $48 Million
from Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee
Senate Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee funds the Value-Added
Producer Grant Program (Sec. 6401) at $48 million – $20
million discretionary and $28 million mandatory not the
minimum of $20 million with a cap at $28 million released in
the June 20 EESI press release.
No Changes to Renewable Energy Programs in the Senate Full
Appropriation Committee Markup
On June 22, the Senate Appropriations
Committee marked up the Agriculture,
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and
Related Agencies Appropriations bill and reported it to the
full Senate. Although there were a number of amendments on
disaster relief and other important agriculture issues there
were no changes to the renewable energy programs.
The bill will go to the Senate floor for a vote and
then the House and Senate will conference their two bills
later this year.
For
a full list of the Senate Agriculture Appropriation funding
levels see the EESI updated Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee press release.
Click
here for Senate Appropriations Committee Press Release
Western Governors’ Association Resolution, Transportation
Fuels for the Future
On June 11, the opening day of the
Western Governors' Association (WGA) Annual Meeting, the
Western governors committed themselves to improving energy
efficiency; increasing availability of alternative
transmission sources and facilities, and promoting
affordability and diversification of clean energy and fuel
resources. WGA
passed Policy Resolution 06-20, Transportation
Fuels for the Future, based on a number of recommendations
from their Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (CDEAC).
Recommendations address issues such as renewable energy,
energy efficiency, market incentives, and federal policy.
The
governors gave high priority to energy policies that will
encourage the evolution of alternative fuel and energy
production, use, and distribution.
To achieve this, the governors stated their support for
full funding of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Biomass
and Biorefinery Systems Research and Development Program,
including the Integrated Biorefinery Demonstrations ($100
million FY07) authorized under Section 932(d) of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58). WGA also supports funding
for smaller scale-up cellulosic demonstrations.
The DOE Bioenergy Program is expected to provide
solutions to current technical and demonstration barriers so
that the utilization of a greater quantity and wider range of
feedstocks, such as corn stover, grasses, woody crops, and
forestry waste, may be achieved.
The
governors also endorsed the findings of the Governors’
Ethanol Coalition. The
Coalition’s findings recommended to Congress that, in order
to put the nation on course to replacing imported oil with
domestically produced alternative fuels, a sustained level of
cellulosic biofuels research, development and demonstration is
needed for the next six years.
These programs are expected to produce significant results
which will move the western region and the nation toward a
diversified, clean and secure energy future.
Click
here for a PDF version of this Press Release
Click
here for WGA Resolution
Click here for GEC
Ethanol for Biomass
report
Click here
for GEC letter to the President in support of fully funding
the DOE Bioenergy Program
Click here
for coalition support letter for DOE Bioenergy program to
Senate Appropriations Committee
If you have questions,
please email or call Jetta Wong at jwong@eesi.org
or (202) 662-1885. |
