House Dems release plan for energy technology investments
E&E DAILY | Climate-focused House Democrats on Monday detailed their plans for boosting investments in cleaner energy technologies, including shoring up federal support.
The new policy statement from members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) sets in-depth priorities for clean energy policies, and shows the coalition moving forward with a shadow climate agenda even as Democrats are the minority party in Congress.
Democratic Reps. Kevin Mullin of California and Andrea Salinas of Oregon, who serve as co-chairs of the SEEC's Innovation and Technology Task Force, detailed plans to improve federal investment in clean energy technology.
Among the group's goals are expanding federal investment in clean energy technology, with a specific focus on making the technologies marketable — and ensuring the appropriations landscape stays stable enough to attract private investment in new technology.
“The impacts of climate change are intensifying and being felt by communities across the country. We urgently need to support innovation to help tackle our climate crisis, increase American energy independence, make our grid more reliable and efficient, and reduce costs for consumers,” Mullin said in a statement.
Similarly, Salinas said: “Our nation has a long history of stepping up to meet challenging moments with innovation and grit. Now is our chance to lead the world in clean technology, which will not only tackle climate change but also drive our economy for decades to come."
The lawmakers said they hoped to soon see national strategies around some of the more cutting-edge energy technologies, such as fusion, advanced nuclear, next generation geothermal, advanced batteries and green hydrogen.
Advanced nuclear energy has been a significant priority of the Trump administration, and the makings of a national strategy feature heavily in this year’s annual defense authorization bill.
The lawmakers’ policy priorities included a push to expand and model more programs off of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), an Energy Department office that funds emerging energy technologies. Republican-led spending legislation in the House would slash funding for the agency.
The Democrats are also looking for more technology-neutral investment pathways for projects that focus on emissions reduction.
“The U.S. has the potential to lead the clean energy economy, but we can’t do that without reliable federal investment in innovation and manufacturing. Our agenda focuses on bridging this gap, so we can turn promising ideas into real climate solutions,” Mullin said.