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U.S. Administration to ask for 72% cut of renewable energy programs at DOE

U.S. Administration to ask for 72% cut of renewable energy programs at DOE Donald Trump at a CPAC meeting in Maryland 2017 (source: flickr/ Gage Skidmore, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 1 Feb 2018

Draft budgets for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs of the U.S. Department of Energy show deep cuts to research and other efforts, as proposed under the current administration of President Donald Trump.

In devastating news from the U.S., it is reported that the White House under President Trump is seeking to cut the budget of the energy efficiency and renewable energy programs under the U.S. Department of Energy by 72%.

This is reported by the Washington Post, that has obtained draft budget documents. With current spending level set at around $2 billion for the fiscal year, the new – draft – budget asks for a total budget of $575 million in spending.

One can though say that, the White House already sought to cut it down to $636 million this past year, but Congress later rejected this by supporting higher numbers.

Based on the draft budget documents, the cuts would cut down on staff from 680 in 2017 to 450 in 2019.

Under the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Geothermal Technology Office has played a major role in important research on geothermal technologies in the U.S. With the proposed cuts, this would deeply impact these efforts.

But the most cuts are proposed for fuel efficient vehicles, research into bioenergy technologies and solar energy technology research. Further details and the proposed budget is expected to be released in February.

Source: The Hill