Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, today's FY 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations bill continues the majority's record of missed opportunities and misguided priorities when it comes to our Federal budget.

First and foremost, thoughtful Americans from across the political spectrum agree that we need to end our current dependence on foreign oil and replace it with affordable, reliable, homegrown clean energy. Yet this bill slashes funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy research programs by 40 percent below President Obama's request--and it decimates the game-changing work being done by the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy (ARPA-E) with a proposed 80 percent cut below the President's recommended level.

The health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the rest of our Nation's waterways often rely on the Army Corps of Engineers. But today's legislation actually blocks the Corps from clarifying which waterways are covered by Clean Water Act protections.

Finally, this bill shortchanges nuclear non-proliferation and environmental cleanup efforts, reducing our ability to secure nuclear materials around the world and mitigate the impact of more than a half century's worth of national security-related nuclear activity here at home.

I urge a no vote.

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