Signed Legislation Begins to Define Federal R&D and TBED Appropriations for FY10

Exactly six weeks into the federal government's fiscal year which commenced on Oct 1, five of the 12 appropriations bills for FY10 have been signed into law by President Obama. The remaining seven bills are at various places in the appropriations process, none of which have emerged from conference committee for a final vote by each chamber.

This means the final appropriations for departments such as Defense, Commerce, Labor, Education, HHS and the NIH, and agencies such as NSF and NASA still need to be resolved. However, the budget bills that have become law, including the Energy and Water bill, the Interior and Environment bill, and the Agriculture bill, contain specific line-items which can be reported for various research, development, and TBED content.

Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
The Department of Energy(DoE) is set to receive $27.11 billion in FY10, a 1.2 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. DoE allocations include funding for the Department's Office of Science, energy efficiency programs, and various energy-related research grants. The Department also received a significant boost earlier in the year with $38.7 billion in funding from the Recovery Act (see the Feb 19, 2009 special issue of the Digest).

The Office of Science will receive $4.90 billion in FY10, a rise of 3.1 percent from FY09. The funds will be allocated as follows

• $1.64 billion for the basic energy sciences;
• $810 million for high-energy physics;
• $604 million for biological and environmental research;
• $535 million for nuclear physics;
• $426 million for fusion energy sciences;
• $394 million for advanced computing;
• $128 million for science laboratories infrastructure; and,
• $21 million for science-based workforce development.

The new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), which two weeks ago awarded $151 million in its first round of grants, received no funding for FY10. However, a transfer of $15 million from previous appropriation acts was specified.

While the DoE requested funds to create eight “Energy Innovation Hubs” in various topics, only three were chosen to be funded: one in solar energy, one in the design of efficient buildings, and one in nuclear energy modeling and simulation.

About $2.24 billion is allocated for various research initiatives under the heading of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), including the following:

• $311 million for R&D in vehicle technologies;
• $225 million for solar energy systems;
• $210 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program;
• $220 million for biomass and biorefinery R&D with $35 million specifically for algae biofuels;
• $200 million for building technologies;
• $174 million for hydrogen technologies;
• $96 million for efficiencies within industry;
• $80 million for wind energy systems;
• $50 million for the State Energy Program (SEP);
• $50 million for water power and hydroelectric systems; and,
• $44 million for geothermal systems.

Research and development programs concentrating on fossil fuels will receive $672 million. Of that, $404 million will go to power systems research, including $154 million for carbon sequestration, $158 million for program direction, and $18 million for natural gas R&D.

The Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program, a newer loan program with origins in the Recovery Act to support renewable energy and transmission technologies, is slated to receive $43 million in FY10. The Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program will receive $20 million in FY10..

The Energy and Water Bill also outlines appropriations to various economic development regional commissions. For FY10, these funding levels include:

• Appalachian Regional Commission, $76 million
• Delta Regional Authority, $13 million
• Denali Commission, $12 million
• Northern Border Regional Commission, $1.5 million
• Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, $250,000

Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill
In the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is allocated to receive $1.11 billion in FY10, an increase of 6.5 percent from FY09. Funds fall within the following categories:

• $249 million to investigate geologic hazards, resources, and process (2.9 percent increase from FY09);
• $232 million for water resource projects (4.9 percent increase);
• $205 million for biological research (10.6 percent increase);
• $146 million for geographic research, investigations, and remote sensing projects (2.4 percent increase);
• $106 million for USGS facilities (4.2 percent increase);
• $69 million for science support (2.7 percent increase);
• $58 million for global climate change research (43.3 percent increase); and,
• $46 million for enterprise information (7.7 percent increase).

The EPA is set to receive $10.3 billion in FY10, with $846 million going towards its science and R&D activities. This includes $248 million for human health and ecosystems research, $122 million for air toxins research, $110 million for clean water research, $104 million for clean air research, and $19 million for its climate protection program.

Agriculture Appropriations Bill
In the Agriculture bill, $1.18 billion is allocated for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and $788 million is allocated to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for research and education activities.

The USDA's Rural Development initiatives have a handful of TBED-related activities, especially for distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband activities to improve access in underserved areas. Specific allotments include:

• $400 million broadband telecommunications loans;
• $29 million subsidies for broadband telecommunications loans;
• $38 million for distance learning and telecommunication grants; and,
• $18 million in broadband telecommunication grants.

The Library of Congress maintains a webpage with links to all twelve appropriations bills as they progress through both houses. It is available at: http://www.thomas.gov/home/approp/app10.html