On the recordFebruary 15, 2011
While the energy efficiency and renewable energy program supports research and development important to American competitiveness, the program has seen a 30 percent increase since the fiscal year 2008 and received $16.8 billion in stimulus funding in the Recovery Act. Now is therefore the right time to cut the fat and replace indiscriminate spending increases with smart prioritization and oversight. Two programs within this account, Weatherization Assistance and the State Energy Program, do not focus on competitiveness and instead pass funding on to state and local governments. These two programs together have $4.7 billion in unspent Recovery Act funding and have encountered substantial management challenges in the last 2 years. And I may say, substantial. The bill eliminates funding in fiscal year 2011 for weatherization and state energy programs whose unspent Recovery Act funding should sustain it through fiscal year 2011. In fact, at current implementation rates, which have been incredibly slow, unspent funding would last through 2012. The amendment ignores these commonsense facts and the imperative to reduce spending by moving unneeded funding back into an already bloated program. I therefore, oppose the amendment and urge Members to do the same.
