President Bush Authorizes Energy Research But May Not Fund It

In August 2007, President George W. Bush signed the “America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act,” or the “America COMPETES” act. The bill authorizes funding for an array of programs in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and a number of other agencies.

According to a summary published by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, the bill is intended to improve the quality of science and math education, to invest in science and engineering research, to offer incentives for students and researchers in science, and to offer tax incentives and other benefits to support scientific innovation in the private sector.

The bill authorizes the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) at DOE to support research in energy technologies including renewable energy, carbon sequestration, nuclear energy, and energy efficiency. According to the bill’s summary, “ARPA-E will address long-term and high-risk technological barriers in energy through collaborative research and development that private industry or the DOE are not likely to undertake alone.” To fund ARPA-E, the bill authorizes $300 million in fiscal year 2008; funding for DOE programs in the bill totals $17 billion in fiscal years 2008–2010.

However, the programs authorized by the America COMPETES bill may not ever gain funding, as Congress and President Bush must pass a budget appropriating those funds, and, in signing the bill, the president warned of roadblocks: “I will not propose excessive or duplicative funding based on authorizations in this bill,” he said. Among the projects Bush considers “excessive” is ARPA-E, as it focuses on research and development that he argues is “more appropriately left to the private sector.”

– Allyson Wendt

For more information:

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology
www.science.house.gov

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