On March 25, the House Committee on Appropriations’ Energy and Water Development Subcommittee held a fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget hearing for Applied Energy Funding at the Department of Energy (DOE). Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID) opened by stating that Applied Energy programs, which include Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE),  Nuclear Energy (NE), Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), and Fossil Energy (FE), account for over $3.8 billion of the agency’s total $27.2 billion budget request. He expressed concern over the 15.4 percent reduction to Fossil Energy, and 2.8 percent reduction to Nuclear Energy.  

In his testimony, EERE’s Assistant Secretary David Danielson stressed the high rate of return on research and development (R&D) investment in project areas of renewable power generation, energy efficiency, advanced manufacturing, and weatherization programs. These areas represent the largest contributions to the agency’s $2.3 billion request.

Assistant Secretary of NE Peter Lyons outlined his agency’s $863.4 million request, which includes funding for design certification and licensing of commercial small modular reactors (SMRs) and research on dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, reactor openings and closings, and continued development of passively safe reactors.

FE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Smith justified his agency’s $711 million request for management of fossil fuels, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), advanced energy systems, and natural gas extraction hazards R&D.

Witnesses also identified several cooperative initiatives between the previously mentioned DOE agencies, including research on supercritical CO₂ and integrated energy systems.

Members focused on how federally funded scientific discoveries provide benefits such as jobs for U.S. citizens. Chairman Simpson, however, articulated concerns about the danger of government investments replacing private ventures into energy sector R&D. 

Sources: FY 2015 Presidential Budget Request; House Committee on Appropriations