The DOE and the Stimulus: Digging into the Numbers

When I broke down the $33.5 billion allocated to the Department of Energy in last month's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act it was no surprise that it provides a huge shot in the arm for the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The $16.8 billion marked for EERE is a tenfold increase over their 2008 appropriation of $1.7 billion. (EERE)

David Hague also pointed out that overall federal energy spending (adjusted for inflation) has remained flat over the last twenty years. The adjusted DOE outlay only increased from $20.3 billion in 1988 to $21.9 billion in 2008. (USGPO)

We're happy to see that the stimulus package provides a much needed boost to the agency responsible for one of the most pressing issues of our time. EERE has already announced the first few funding opportunities, in the vehicle technologies program.  We'll be keeping an eye out for further announcements in the coming weeks.