Sustainability leaders call for aggressive increases in clean energy innovation funding

Washington D.C. – Today leaders in theSustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), led by Vice-Chair Rep. Matt Cartwright, introduced a bill to authorize robust increases in funding to advance clean energy innovation in the next four years. The legislation demonstrates a path to quickly scale up clean energy investments in the coming years, both to address the climate crisis and promote job creation and a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"Now is the time to ramp up critical investments in the clean energy technology that can save the planet and help us build back even stronger from the economic crisis brought about by COVID-19," said Rep. Cartwright along with SEEC Co-Chairs Reps. Paul Tonko, Gerry Connolly and Doris Matsui and Vice-Chairs Reps. A. Donald McEachin, Chellie Pingree, Alan Lowenthal, and Mike Quigley. "Incremental increases will not be enough if we are going to succeed in advancing the technology innovation we need in the short time we have to protect the planet from climate change."

The Clean Energy Innovation Funding Act lays out a vision for doubling and then tripling investments in key clean energy research, development and demonstration programs in accordance with commitments made by the Obama Administration in 2015 and with recommendations made by the American Energy Innovation Council (AEIC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). While this is by no means an exhaustive list of the investments and policies needed to address the climate crisis, these key programs can make a meaningful and lasting impact. The bill also highlights the need for modernization of Department of Energy (DOE) programs to enable greater innovation, more aggressive emission reductions, and more just energy systems.

SEEC Vice-Chair Rep. Matt Cartwright is the bill's lead author. His co-leads on this bill are the members of SEEC leadership, Reps. McEachin, Pingree, Matsui, Connolly, Tonko, Lowenthal, and Quigley, as well as fellow SEEC Members Reps. Haaland, Beyer, and Dingell. Nearly 50 members total signed on as original cosponsors.