About one research dollar in every five appropriated by Congress for the development of renewable energy sources is for a specific project inserted directly into the budget on behalf of a member of the House or Senate, and directed to a contractor or a university in the lawmaker's state or district. When ordered to pay for such pet projects, known as earmarks, the Energy Department reduces spending on similar projects at its own laboratories.
As a result, scores of staff members at the department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, Colo., and at contractors that the lab supports are losing their jobs. Some people on Capitol Hill acknowledge that layoffs, which are to begin in a few days, seem strange, coming after Mr. Bush's proposal in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that the government spend 22 percent more on renewable energy.
In his address, Mr. Bush called for ''earmark reform,'' although not specifically in the context of energy projects. The next morning Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman reiterated the point when he met with reporters to give some details about the administration's proposals. Even some lawmakers agree.
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Senator Tom Coburn's activity on the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
