PUBLIC AFFAIRS

ACI and AEI Research Initiatives Supported in House

On May 11 the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development recommended fully funding the president’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and the Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI). There is support for plant research within both of these presidential initiatives. The full Appropriations Committee approved the recommendation on May 17. The House approved the bill on May 24.

The American Competitiveness Initiative includes funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science, including the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and its Energy Biosciences program, and for the Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The subcommittee’s recommendation for the Office of Science is $4.132 billion. The initiative would double funds for basic research supported by the Office of Science over 10 years.

The Advanced Energy Initiative increases funding for clean energy technologies, including biomass, hydrogen, solar, wind, and clean coal.