WASHINGTON, July 19, 2017 - House appropriators passed spending bills last week for FY 2018, including budget proposals for USDA, EPA and the Energy Department (DOE). Though cuts for the different agencies were not as deep as President Trump had proposed, spending levels take a significant dive in the bioenergy and biofuels programs.
USDA funding would be cut by $867 million, eliminating the Rural Energy for America Program, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and the Biorefinery Assistance Program.
In the House bill, the Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) receives $27 million as compared to FY 2017 allocations of $224.6 million. Funds are for “feedstock supply and logistics to address issues limiting production and conversion systems at large.”
Cuts would effectively end a joint project between USDA, DOE and the Navy to produce biofuels and biojet fuels. This includes funding for the Great Green Fleet, an initiative to drive down the cost of biofuels for use by the Navy. For more information, click here.
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