Energy & Water Approps Bill Vote Results

[Lisa Marina Brooks <lbrooks@Citizen.Org>]

          HOUSE PASSES AMENDMENT TO RESTORE RENEWABLES FUNDING, 
             DEFEATS ATTEMPTS TO SLICE NUCLEAR PORK PROGRAMS
  
  This morning, the House of Representatives voted on three amendments to
  the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for 1997, S.3814. These three
  amendments all had the support of Public Citizen and others in the safe
  energy movement. 
  
  1. VICTORY ON RENEWABLES -- By a stunning margin of 279-135, the House
  approved an amendment by Reps. Dan Schaefer (R-CO), Scott Klug (D-WI), Vic
  Fazio (D-CA), Karen Thurman (D-CA), David Minge (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA)
  and Matt Salmon (R-AZ) to restore about $42 million in funding for
  renewable energy programs at the Dept. of Energy. The amendment brings
  funding in the House bill to $2 million less than in 1996. Opposition to
  the proposal was led by John Myers (R-IN), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Bob
  Walker (R-PA), all of whom spoke derisively about renewable energy. The
  huge margin of victory (a similar amendment last year passed by only 6
  votes) demonstrates the breadth and depth of support for renewables on the
  House floor, and also shows how out of touch the Appropriations Committee
  is when it guts renewables programs while doling out cash to nuclear pork
  projects. Of the funds restored by the amendment, $22.5 million will go to
  wind energy, which the committee would have zeroed out entirely, with $7
  million to photovoltaics, and the rest spread among many smaller programs. 
  
  2. NARROW DEFEAT ON ADVANCED LIGHT WATER REACTOR (ALWR) -- In a big
  disappointment to environmental, taxpayer and consumer groups, the House
  rejected by 198-211 an amendment to terminate the corporate welfare ALWR
  program at DOE. Reps. David Obey (D- WI), Mark Foley (R-FL), Ed Markey
  (D-MA), Dana Rohrabacher (R- CA), David Minge (D-MN) and Ed Royce (R-CA)
  ably argued for terminating the boondoggle, but Myers, Walker, Bob
  Livingston (R- LA) and George Brown (D-CA) all called for another "last
  year" for the pork that they had said was in its "last year" a year ago.
  With the help of the DOE, ALWR proponents even pulled out the absurd claim
  that terminating the program would cost more than continuing it, despite
  the fact that ALWR does not involve government facilities -- it involves
  writing checks to huge multinationals Westinghouse and GE. 
  
  3. LOPSIDED DEFEAT ON PYROPROCESSING -- Markey's amendment to terminate
  DOE's pyroprocessing program failed, 138-278. Opposing the amendment were
  Reps. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Harris Fawell (R- IL), in whose districts the
  money is spent, and usual suspects Myers, Brown and Walker, who support
  anything related to nuclear power. Also speaking in favor of this remnant
  of the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor was Vern Ehlers (R-MI), who at least
  admitted what pyroprocessing's proponents usually deny -- that it is a
  reprocessing technology. Markey's amendment was supported by
  environmental, consumer, taxpayer and non-proliferation groups. 
  
  Where we go from here: the Senate will probably take up energy and water
  appropriations next week. We expect Sens. Jim Jeffords (R-VT) and Bill
  Roth (R-DE) to offer an amendment to increase renewables spending. Sens.
  John McCain (R-AZ), Russ Feingold (D- WI), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and John
  Kerry (D-MA) have introduced a bill, S.1958, to terminate the ALWR, and
  they will offer an amendment on the floor to remove funding for the
  program. Please call, fax or email your senators in support of those
  amendments. 
  
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