Jason Chaffetz: “I have a simple amendment that takes a line item within the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program back to the…”

“I have a simple amendment that takes a line item within the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program back to the fiscal year 2011 level. Now, I think that's probably a pretty reasonable approach to it. It's not too long ago. If left to my own devices, I'd probably zero it out. But if you go back and look within energy efficiency and renewable energy and then go back down and look at advanced manufacturing, which is the line item that I'm talking about, what this amendment suggests is that we would reduce spending on this, what is proposed, by $74 million, taking it back to the fiscal year 2011 level, which would be $76 million. {time} 1120 Now, that was not just some random number. There was real justification for this, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will find this reasonable. I'm going back, and I'm looking at the committee report for Energy and Water appropriations, and there are three things that I want to highlight within that committee report, so I will read from that. The first one I want to highlight reads: For example, the Advanced Manufacturing Program within Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy currently funds more than 40 centers in a variety of sizes, ages and effectiveness levels, only a portion of which are mentioned in the budget request. These centers vary in how well they support the program's new manufacturing mission.…”