ITC for solar energy being dramatically reduced
From an Article by Ari Natter, Bloomberg News, February 5, 2020
The Trump administration is withholding nearly a billion dollars for a clean energy program it has unsuccessfully tried to cut, congressional Democrats said Wednesday, raising the specter of political interference.
The unspent funds now amount to $823 million in the Energy Department’s office that provides grants and other financial assistance for alternative energy, electric vehicles and energy efficiency, according to Democrats on the House Science Committee, which is holding a joint subcommittee hearing on the topic.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which has a $2.85 billion budget, was targeted for 80% cuts in the last White House budget request — only to see Congress increase its funding instead. The office has also recently canceled funding of proposed projects and left scores of staffing positions unfilled, said Illinois Democrat Bill Foster.
“When Congress passes a budget, we expect that budget to be followed,” said Foster, chairman of the panel’s Investigations and Oversight subcommittee. “It’s unclear to many of us there has been a completely good-faith effort.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council said in a statement that the delayed-funding was yet another example of “ideologically driven efforts that thwart action to combat climate” change. The Trump administration has moved to ease Obama-era rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and power plants, while also pulling the country out of the Paris climate accord.
“The agency is flouting congressional intent,” said Arjun Krishnaswami, an analyst with the environmental group’s climate and clean energy program.
Republicans on the committee said so-called carry-over funding within the office was normal. “It’s business as usual,” said Representative Ralph Norman, of South Carolina.
And Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said the agency fully intends to spend its appropriated funding “consistent with both congressional guidance and administration priorities.” The office is in the process of hiring more staff, Simmons said.
He pointed to $126 million in funding for solar technologies announced by the Energy Department just as the hearing began Wednesday. ”This has been a very good faith effort,” Simmons testified.“We are trying to be good stewards of tax payer dollars.”
Planning underway by Clean Energy States Alliance, May 9, 2019
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which grew under Obama, has financed research into technologies ranging from electric vehicles to energy projects powered by ocean waves. It has been credited with financing research to help make the cost of wind power competitive with coal-fired electricity, and cutting the costs of LED lighting.
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Trump Won’t Receive Our Endorsement
EDITORIAL from Morgantown Dominion Post, Sunday, February 9, 2020
No need to wait until November to state that The Dominion Post will not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2020.
How could we ever reach that conclusion 268 days out from the Nov. 3 election? Easy.
Pardon us, if we jump to conclusions, but we just took a page out of congressional Republicans’ playbook. Unlike them though we did not ignore the evidence and disregard the pursuit of the truth.
No, we did not take an oath to defend the Constitution, as they did, but we will defend it from those who would shred it for the sake of fealty to any politician or partisan politics.
After 3 years we’ve also seen more than enough to convince us that not even knowing who Trump’s opponents will be, he or she may be a better choice.
We say may because we are not simply defaulting to whoever the Democrats nominate or a third party candidate.
If the Democrats don’t nominate a worthy candidate we may not endorse anyone, as we decided to do in 2016.
We will take a look at a Republican candidate for president if he or she bests Trump. That holds true, too, if an independent runs a credible campaign.
For the record, throughout the history of this newspaper we have supported Republicans for president far more times than Democrats.
Yet, Trump has proven again and again he is not only unfit to be president but has a greater contempt for his constitutional role than congressional Republicans do.
We can no longer accept this frenzy, this chaos, these juvenile tweets, this us vs. them mentality, this arrogance, this corruption and this deceit.
Though the down and dirty atmosphere of our elections and candidates’ attacks on opponents is almost a given. But it’s not just political opponents, or even facts and the truth that have been victimized by this president, but decency itself.
Trump has gone after everyone from teenage activists to Gold Star parents, and anyone else he disagrees with. We have yet to witness a single admission of fallibility, remorse or an apology for any of his acts or policies, either.
His recent acquittal, for instance, will be cast as an exoneration, rather than the cowardice of an unprincipled and craven Senate.
His signature policy of immigration has run the gamut of the separation of thousands of children from their parents to deploying troops and declaring national emergencies.
Then there’s that “long, tall, very powerful wall.” Three years ago, about 650 miles of the nearly 2,000 mile U.S.- Mexico border had primary barriers.
To date, that has barely changed. According to the latest government data, one new mile of “wall” has been built. Another 100 miles of dilapidated barriers have been replaced with new barriers.
Space does not allow us to cite his numerous foreign misadventures. Just leave it to say our allies are wary and our adversaries are glowing.
Trump’s term in office expires in 346 days — Jan. 20, 2021, at noon. We need not suffer another day of this terrible mistake beyond that.