Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 2013

Floor Speech

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chair, I am proud to support the Hirono-Chu-Matsui-Lee-Carnahan Amendment to the Energy and Water appropriations bill. The amendment would maintain our commitment to the successful Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA E as it is more commonly known.

In March of this year, Energy Secretary Chu came before the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to discuss the Administration's budget request, which included an additional $75 million for ARPA E. I had the opportunity to speak with him about the importance of ARPA E and the effectiveness of the program as we seek to bring new technologies to market that change the way we generate, store, and use energy.

I take a particular interest in ARPA E because in Oregon we have seen its benefits first hand. As a result of the program, a company by the name of ReVolt Technology actually relocated to our community and brought its amazing research--and jobs as well. In my discussion with Secretary Chu, he highlighted the effectiveness of ARPA E in leveraging private-sector investments stating that a $40 million federal investment has been leveraged to private-sector investments of more than $200 million.

Keeping this in mind, I was dismayed to see that the underlying bill under consideration not only rejects the request for additional ARPA E investment, but seeks to cut $75 million in FY2013.

As a member of the Budget Committee, I understand the need to get our fiscal house in order. But we have a responsibility to do so in a strategic manner to ensure that we do not undermine our future security and competitiveness. It is precisely this recognition that makes the Hirono-Chu-Matsui-Lee-Carnahan Amendment so important.

This amendment addresses the lopsided priorities in the underlying bill in a reasonable and balanced way. It seeks to meet the Administration's request for the fossil fuels research and development, and uses the difference to support ARPA E. This would provide roughly $333 million for ARPA E, a modest increase over FY2012.

This is amendment takes a fair approach, balancing today's energy research needs with the promise of tomorrow's technologies, and the jobs and economic benefits that go along with them.

I commend my colleagues for their work on this amendment.

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