Congress gave the renewable sector of the Department of Energy roughly the same funding for Fiscal Year 2006 as for the previous year – about $1.1 billioncq, said Bob Nouncq, deputy associatedirector of NREL. NREL draws most of its annual funding from that source.
But this year, lawmakers from various states set aside a significant portion of the renewable energy budget for pet projects in their home districts – a process called earmarking, Noun said.
“Earmarks in 2004 were about $85 millioncq, last year they were up to $92cq million, and this year, they were over $163cq million,” Noun said. “That gives you an idea what we’re dealing with.”
Jim McMillan, manager for the NREL’s biomass research group, called the news “a bit of a bitter pill,” and not only because it came just before the holidays.
“The irony is we in a time where the mission of the NREL has never been more important and more appreciated – the price of natural gas, the sustainability of our energy supply…” he said.
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar agreed. “This is a step backward from our Nation’s goal of energy independence,” he wrote in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., also weighed in on the budget issue, made public Monday after weeks of discussions at upper levels of Energy Department management.
“This earmark process is killing us,” said Jordan Stoick, Beauprez’s spokesmancq.
“Congressman Beauprez is very concerned about the potential impact on NREL and…has contacted officials at DOE to remind them of its importance,” he said.
Beauprez’s office estimated that about 100 people – more than 10 percent of NREL’s staff – could lose their jobs, based on budget figures and discussions with Department of Energy officials.
Staff writer Katy Human can be reached at 303-820-1910 or at khuman@denverpost.com.
