Overview

The President's fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget request and the addendum include $30.6 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), approximately $500 million (2%) more than the FY2017 enacted appropriations of $30.1 billion, accounting for rescissions (see P.L. 115-31 and Division D Explanatory Statement). This request would increase the total budget for DOE, increase overall funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and increase funding for the Office of Environmental Management (EM). The request would maintain funding for the Office of Science, while it would reduce funding for the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Nuclear Energy (NE), and Fossil Energy (including the Fossil Energy Research and Development [R&D] program). It would also split the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) into two accounts—grid reliability (Electricity Delivery, OE) and cybersecurity (Cyber Security, Energy Security, and Emergency response, CESER)—and reduce total combined funding to these offices. It would eliminate funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), Weatherization Assistance Program, State Energy Program, Energy Policy and Systems Analysis, and programs within the Loan Program Office.

Figure 1. Department of Energy Budget Comparison

Source: FY2019 request, FY2018 current (under continuing resolution), and FY2017 DOE Enacted, from DOE, FY2019 Congressional Budget Request: Budget in Brief (February 2018).

Notes: "Other" refers to programs and funding not within the specified categories. "Energy" refers to the Offices of EERE, NE, OE (and the newly proposed OE and CESER), and Fossil Energy (FE), which includes Fossil Energy R&D. "Science" refers to the Office of Science.

Proposed changes to the DOE budget are illustrated in Figure 1, which compares FY2017 enacted levels and FY2018 current and proposed appropriations to the FY2019 request. The FY2019 request for NNSA is $15.1 billion (a 17% increase over the FY2017 level of $12.9 billion). Among other increases, the budget request would provide $120 million to restart licensing activities for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and to initiate an interim nuclear waste storage program. The EM budget request of $6.6 billion is an increase of $182 million (3%) over FY2017 enacted.

The request decreases funding broadly across energy programs—although FE would see nearly $35 million more in funding (5%) over FY2017. Other offices would see funding decreases. Within EERE, all programs would see decreases in funding, and funding for two programs would be eliminated: the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program.

Other programs would also be eliminated. The request would eliminate funding for ARPA-E. Funding would also be eliminated under the request for the Title XVII Loan Program and the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program with the expectation that operations would wind down in FY2019 and shut down in FY2020.

Table 1 shows a summary of changes included in the FY2019 request compared to the FY2017 enacted levels and FY2018 appropriations.

Table 1. FY2019 Request for Selected DOE Offices and Programs

(Dollars in Millions)

Office/Program

FY2017 Enacted

FY2018

FY2019 Request

Requested Change from FY2017

 

 

Current

House

S. Com.

 

Dollars

Percent

NNSA

$12,928

$12,923

$13,914

$13,685

$15,091

$2,163

17%

Environmental Management

6,419

6,377

6,395

6,634

6,601

182

3%

Nuclear Waste Disposal

0

0

120

0

120

120

New

Office of Science

5,391

5,354

5,393

5,550

5,391

0

0%

Energy Programs

3,942

3,959

3,214

3,831

2,150

(1,792)

(45%)

Weatherization Assistance Program

228

226

228

215

0

(225)

(100%)

State Energy Program

50

50

50

50

0

(50)

(100%)

ARPA-E

305

303

0

330

0

(305)

(100%)

Credit Programs

13

31

(406)

(391)

(1)

(14)

(104%)

Source: FY2017 Enacted, FY2018 Current, and FY2019 Request from DOE, FY2019 Congressional Budget Request: Budget in Brief (February 2018); FY2018 House from H.Rept. 115-230; FY2018 Senate Committee from S.Rept. 115-132 (includes rescissions).

Notes: Parentheses ( ) indicate negative numbers. Energy Programs refers to the Offices of EERE, NE, and OE (and the newly proposed OE and CESER), and FE, which includes Fossil Energy R&D. Credit Programs refers collectively to the Title XVII Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program, ATVM Loan Program, and the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program.

Potential Issues

The President's FY2019 request would reduce funding for energy programs within the DOE. EERE funding would decrease by more than $1.3 billion (65%) from the FY2017 enacted level. Within EERE, all programs would see decreases in funding, with more than $600 million (46%) of the reduction coming from energy efficiency programs. The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability as it currently is organized would also see reduced funding levels; however, the request would divide OE into two offices: Electricity Delivery, which would see funding levels decrease by more than $89 million (59%) from FY2017 enacted, and CESER, which would see funding levels increase by more than $16 million (21%) over FY2017.

The budget request proposes to eliminate funding for the Title XVII Loan Program and ATVM Loan Program. According to the request, the existing loan portfolio would continue to be managed, and unobligated balances and offsetting fees collected from borrowers would support the administrative functions of the programs. The budget request states its expectation that operations will wind down in FY2020 and any remaining monitoring and closeout functions would be transferred to another office.

The FY2019 budget request maintains funding levels for the Office of Science at nearly $5.4 billion; however, the request would change funding levels for individual Science programs "to focus on its core mission of conducting cutting edge, early-stage research." The request would increase funding by $252 million (39%) for Advanced Scientific Computing Research. Biological and Environmental Research would see funding decrease by $112 million (18%). Other programs would also see reductions, including Fusion Energy Sciences ($40 million decrease or 11%) and High Energy Physics ($55 million decrease or 7%).

For additional information on FY2018 appropriations for DOE, see CRS Report R44895, Energy and Water Development: FY2018 Appropriations, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].