Washington, D.C., October 15, 2009 – The Alliance to Save Energy today commended Congress for increasing fiscal year 2010 funding for many energy-efficiency programs critical to curbing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Now that both the House and Senate have passed a consensus funding bill for those programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the president is expected to sign it. This is the first time in four years this funding bill has been passed as stand alone legislation without the use of continuing resolution or inclusion in an omnibus appropriation bill.

“It seems that the future for investment in and deployment of energy-efficiency programs becomes brighter every day,” said Alliance Director of Policy Lowell Unger. “On the heels of a major announcement by the president that ensures more energy-efficient federal buildings, Congress has now followed suit by substantially increasing funding for many essential programs within DOE.”

“While Congress has not provided as much for DOE energy-efficiency programs as the administration had requested, it is a generous appropriation, particularly given the level of economic recovery funding for energy efficiency. Final enactment of the generous DOE appropriation for energy efficiency programs indicates that Congress and the administration agree that saving taxpayers money, creating home-grown jobs, and curtailing our nation’s energy use can best be achieved through investments in energy-efficiency technologies,” said Alliance Director of Government Relations Brad Penney. “The Alliance will continue to support federal investments in energy efficiency to help ensure that its full potential is achieved.”

In total, the conference report approved $2.2 billion for DOE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, up from the $1.9 billion appropriated for the current fiscal year.

For specific programs, Congress approved the following amounts in the FY10 Energy and Water Appropriations conference report:

• $200 million for the Building Technologies Program, an increase of $60 million over FY09 levels
• $96 million for the Industrial Technologies Program, an increase of $6 million over FY09 levels
• $32 million for the Federal Energy Management Program, an increase of $10 million over FY09 levels
• $311 million for the Vehicle Technologies Program, $69 million over FY09 levels
• $210 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, $240 less than the FY09 levels