This week, the Senate approved a minibus package of three appropriations bills, including the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Energy, Water, and Related Agencies bill. This bill provides yearly funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) and its various offices and programs.
The Energy and Water title received $43.7 billion, an increase over the $34.6 billion as passed in the FY 2018 omnibus. However, most of the DOE programs received mostly level funding. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) received $2.32 billion, the same level as the FY 2018 omnibus. The Office of Fossil Energy received level funding at $727 million and the office of Science Received mostly level funding at $6.65 billion.
Notably, the committee report language contained the same language in past years promoting natural gas and direct use applications. The committee recommends $53 million to be directed for natural gas technologies within EERE. Within the Building Technologies Office, the committee retained language that APGA advocated for in past years:
Within available funds, the committee recommends $10,000,000 for research and development for energy efficiency efforts related to the direct use of natural gas in residential applications, including gas heat pump heating and water heating, onsite combined heat and power, natural gas appliance venting, green pilots, and micro-meters.
Further, the Committee noted the need for increased funding for natural gas vehicle technologies. This language was pushed by NGVAmerica and supported by APGA:
The Committee is concerned with the Department's lack of requested funding for natural gas vehicle research and development. With an abundant source of low-cost domestic natural gas, this resource as a transportation fuel is becoming the alternative fuel of choice for high fuel use fleets and off-road vehicles. Further research is needed on natural gas storage, natural gas engines, and fueling infrastructure optimization. Within available funding, the Committee recommends $15,000,000 to address technical barriers to the increased use of natural gas vehicles, including the development of novel compression and liquefaction technologies, advanced materials, and improvements in processes for conditioning, storing and dispensing natural gas. The Committee directs the Department to undertake a comprehensive study, with stakeholder input, on natural gas vehicle deployment in on- and off-road transportation, identifying barriers to increased deployment of natural gas vehicles.
Next, the bill will need to be reconciled with the House-passed version and ultimately passed by both chambers, either as a stand-alone bill, as part of another minibus, or in an omnibus spending package. APGA will continue to monitor the progress of this and other appropriations bills as they move to the floor.
For questions on this article, please contact Doug MacGillivray of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2842 or by email at
dmacgillivray@apga.org.