Senate Committee Approves 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

This past week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.  The report accompanying the bill (S. Rept. 114-54) includes two specific and important recommendations for the need for NGV RD&D activities at the U.S. DOE.  The U.S. DOE has not undertaken any NGV RD&D activities since 2009. The report also includes a $49 million request for alternative fuel vehicle deployment through the Clean Cities program.  The NGV RD&D language is now included in both the House and Senate reports accompanying the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bills.

Specifically for NGVs the Committee Report “urges the Secretary to work with the natural gas vehicle industry to identify needs and develop solutions for additional engines and emissions control technologies in order to obtain the emission advantages when using natural gas in high efficiency engines.”  The Committee also “directs the Secretary to work with heavy-duty vehicle and engine manufacturers to develop an emissions profile for heavy-duty, dual-fueled natural gas and diesel automobiles to help determine what, if any, emissions control technologies need to be installed on such vehicles to meet environmental regulations. The Committee expects the Secretary to seek the most cost-competitive options as it evaluates the control technology options available to these equipment manufacturers.”

For Clean Cities, the Committee stated that it “recognizes local initiatives to deploy alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure are critical to wider adoption of these technologies to diversify our fuel supply and save consumers money. The Committee recommends $49,000,000 for deployment of vehicles through the Clean Cities Program.”