[IP] Science Funding: First Appropriations Numbers for the President's ACI
Begin forwarded message:
From: Peter Harsha <harsha@xxxxxxx>
Date: May 11, 2006 6:14:15 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Science Funding: First Appropriations Numbers for the
President's ACI
Hi Dave,
For IP?
Just posted this to the Computing Research Policy Blog. See the post
for all the embedded links:
http://www.cra.org/govaffairs/blog/archives/000490.html
FIRST APPROPRIATIONS NUMBERS FOR ACI
The first appropriations numbers for elements of the President's
American Competitiveness Initiative are starting to percolate out,
and they're good. The House Energy and Water Appropriations
subcommittee marked up their FY07 E&W Approps bill today, which
contains funding for Department of Energy's Office of Science. The
appropriators have included the full funding requested by the
President for ACI at the Office of Science -- a 14 percent increase
for the office over its FY 2006 level. The appropriators also
included about $30 million within the office in "Congressionally
directed funding," but that is over and above the ACI amount. So very
good news there.
Word is also that Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who chairs the Science,
State, Justice, Commerce appropriations subcommittee (which includes
ACI agencies NSF and NIST), has said that he's "taken care of ACI" in
his bill as well. The SSJC bill won't be marked up until June, but
full funding of ACI would mean a 7.8 percent increase to NSF and a 24
percent increase to NIST's core research programs -- though the NIST
number is a little trickier because of likely earmarking.
Wolf anticipates there will be some effort once the bill reaches the
House floor to divert some of the ACI funding to other areas of the
bill that received cuts (as happens every year with science funding)
and so he's looking to the science community to help with the fight.
CRA will participate in that effort -- we'll have details soon how
you can help, too.
No word yet on the Senate number -- though for NSF, it's not expected
to be quite as good. The Senate appropriators are apparently more
inclined to "take care" of NASA and NOAA in their bill, as those
agencies didn't fare quite as well in the President's budget.
Of course, the fact that the House seems much more on board with
actually providing funding for ACI is ironic given how non-committal
(or downright hostile) the House leadership seemed to be over the
initiative in recent months. But that's Washington....
Anyway, I'll have more updates as the numbers become a little
clearer. In the meantime, here's a bit of the press release issued by
the Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee today.
----
ENERGY INITIATIVES:
The bill provides $24.373 billion for the Department of Energy, $327
million above the FY2006 level and $299 million above the request.
+ The bill fully funds the American Competitiveness Initiative which
would strengthen basic research by increasing funding for the DOE
Office of Science, for a total of $4.132 billion. In addition, the
bill supports the Advanced Energy Initiative by increasing funding
for a variety of clean energy technologies, including biomass,
hydrogen, solar, wind, and clean coal.
+ The bill provides $150 million for the Global Nuclear Energy
Partnership (GNEP), the administration’s initiative on recycling
spent nuclear fuel, $96 million below the request but at the level
authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
+ Energy Supply and Conservation programs are funded at $2.0 billion,
$102 million above FY06. The bill restores reductions in other
essential energy programs, such as support for university nuclear
energy education (funded at $27 million) and weatherization
assistance (restoring $78 million cut for a total of $242.5 million).
+ Fossil Energy research and development programs are funded at $558
million, an increase of $88.5 over the request, to include $54
million for FutureGen, and $36.4 million for the Clean Coal Power
Initiative.
+ The Bill funds the Yucca Mountain repository at $544.5 million.
This includes $156.4 million for Nuclear Waste Disposal and $388
million for Defense Nuclear Waste Disposal. In addition, the
Committee provides another $30 million for interim storage of spent
fuel, subject to authorization.
+ The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which includes
the nuclear weapons program, defense nuclear nonproliferation, naval
reactors and the Office of the Administrator, is funded at $9.2
billion, an increase of $95 million over last year and $116 million
below the President’s request. Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
activities are funded at $1.6 billion, $22 million below FY06 and
$133 million below the request. The bill provides $105 million for
container screening at foreign ports, $65 million above the request.
Weapons activities are funded at $6.4 billion, $42 million above FY06
and $4 million above the request. Within the Weapons Activities
account, the bill targets $140 million for weapons complex reform and
consolidation activities.
+ Defense Environmental Cleanup programs are funded at $5.55 billion,
an increase of $161.5 million over the request. The Chairman’s mark
provides $600 million for the Hanford Waste Treatment and
Immobilization Plant. Non-defense Environmental Cleanup activities
are funded at $309.9 million, a decrease of $0.4 million below the
request.
+ The Power Marketing Administrations are funded at $252 million, $18
million below last year and the same as the request.
+ The Denali Commission total funding is $7.5 million. Appalachian
Regional Commission is reduced by $30 million, total funding is $35.5
million The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is funded at $808.4
million, an increase of $40 million to provide for the anticipated
growth in reactor license applications.
+ The bill terminates the following programs:
• State energy program grants: $49.5 million
• Geothermal R&D technology: $23 million
• Natural gas R&D technologies: $20 million
• Construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Plant and the Pit Disassembly
and Conversion Facility at the Savannah Site: $368 million
+ The bill reduces total earmarks by $200 million, or 16 percent,
compared to last year’s House bill.
----
-Peter
--
Peter Harsha
Director of Government Affairs
Computing Research Association
1100 17th St. NW, Suite 507
Washington, DC 20036
p: 202.234.2111 ext 106
c: 202.256.8271
CRA's Computing Research Policy Blog: http://www.cra.org/govaffairs/blog
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