Bioenergy Funding in Obama Administration’s Proposed 2013 Budget

In his State of the Union address in January, President Obama promised an "all of the above" energy strategy. On February 13, the President followed up on that promise with the release of the 2013 proposed budget. The Obama administration's budget request included increases for all categories under energy except Nuclear. The two highest increases requested by the President go to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which increased by 29.1% over 2011, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which increased by 27.3%. Increases in both of these areas will help support bioenergy development.

Specifically, in the Renewable Energy category, the President's request for $270 million in funding for Biomass and Biorefinery Systems Research and Development (R&D) would represent an increase of $70.7 million, 35% higher than 2011's enacted budget for the same line item. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute's (EESI) Fact Sheet on the budget proposal, this increase is being requested to fund the Department of Energy's (DOE) Biomass Program, "which focuses on research and development of biomass and biofuel conversion technologies." The President also requested that funding for the DOE's Office of Science Bioenergy Research Centers be kept at previous years' level of $75 million.

Funding for biomass programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), according to EESI, increased by just $4.6 million in the proposed budget. This entire increase would be directed to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). No new funds were requested for 2008 Farm Bill related programs, such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), the Biorefinery Assistance Program or the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.

The administration's preference for DOE funding over USDA funding seems to suggest that it is attempting to consolidate activities and reduce duplicative efforts across agencies, thereby honing its strategy. It is likely to generate some controversy, however, as this $4.6 million for the USDA is significantly less than Congress appropriated for the implementation of energy titles in the 2008 Farm Bill in the previous three years. The fact that Congress is expected to work on the 2012 Farm Bill later this year may be another reason the administration did not request  new funds for programs established under the 2008 Farm Bill.

Read the Environmental and Energy Study Institute's (EESI) Fact Sheet on the Obama Administration's Proposed 2013 Budget.