On the recordJuly 11, 2011
I made a statement a little bit earlier regarding this amendment which aims to help restore the energy security, economic security, and environmental security of our Nation by focusing on the future. It essentially shifts a very modest amount of funds, $10 million, from the administrative costs within the Department of Energy to help restore funds to solar energy research and development within the energy efficiency and renewable energy program. Sadly, the bill overall moves backward in terms of helping America invent its new energy future because it cuts research in solar development by more than one-third from last year and over 60 percent from the President's request. The base bill provides $166 million for solar research, which is a $97 million reduction below this year's level and a $291 million reduction below the President's request. What sense does that make when we're importing petroleum at this level, we continue to use more and more, and prices are going up? It is pretty clear America needs new answers. So my effort is to merely reprogram about 5 percent of the funds in the administrative budget of the Department of Energy and shift those to the energy efficiency and renewable energy program itself. I believe that the Department of Energy, which took years to even get their solar array up at the national headquarters here, could save the money that we need to put into research if they'd merely be more energy efficient about their own buildings.…
