Business Council for Sustainable Energy urges Congress to increase fiscal year 2018 budget caps

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) sent a letter to Congress this week, urging them to reach an agreement that increases the fiscal year 2018 budget caps and ensures adequate funding for energy programs.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 set caps on discretionary spending through, which were adjusted in following years. Without further action by Congress, the caps will be reduced in fiscal year 2018 through an enforcement mechanism known as sequestration.

“If the caps are left unchanged, billions of dollars will be sequestered from non-defense programs, including critical energy programs, at the Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of State,” BCSE President Lisa Jacobson said. “We know this has been a challenging year for the budget, but without an increase in the caps and adequate funding, the security, reliability, and diversity of our nation’s energy supply will be at risk.”

The letter cites clean energy research, development, deployment, and commercialization initiatives funded through the Department of Energy. It also highlights the role the Department of State plays in shaping markets for existing clean energy technologies, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency’s role in providing technical assistance and information about new technologies and practices to support their adoption.

“As Congress moves forward with appropriations legislation for Fiscal Year 2018, the Council requests that you consider the value that energy programs at the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and State Department, provide to the reliability and security of the nation’s energy system, as well as to consumers and businesses,” Jacobson said.