Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives defeated three amendments to an appropriations bill that would have cut much needed funds to research and development programs at the Department of Energy.

“The United States has an opportunity to be the global leader in developing new technologies that will allow us to use fossils fuels in the cleanest and most efficient way, and today we embraced that role,” said McKinley.

“Countries around the world have already stated that they will continue to utilize coal, natural gas, and oil to meet their energy needs for the next several decades. Given this reality, it was important for the House to defeat several attempts to erode fossil fuels from our energy agenda,” McKinley said.

Impact on WV-1:

·         Appropriates $645 million for Fossil Energy and Research Development, much of which is done at the National  Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) which has a facility in Morgantown, West Virginia. 

·         This is $285 million above the president’s budget request, $13 million above the FY 2016 enacted level, and $40 million above the level proposed by the House Appropriations Committee for FY 2016.  This program conducts research on fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.