May 11, 2002
The Honorable Sonny Callahan, Chairman
House Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Subcommittee
2362 Rayburn House Office
Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-6020
The Honorable Harry Reid, Chairman
Senate Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Subcommittee
SD-131 Dirksen Senate Office
Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-6033
Dear Chairman Callahan and Chairman Reid:
On behalf of the 27 members of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition, we
respectfully request that you support funding of the Regional Biomass
Energy Program at a level of $5 million in FY03.
In spite of widespread support for the Regional Biomass Energy Program
by bioenergy businesses, educational institutions, and the nation’s
governors, the U.S. Department of Energy chose to significantly reduce
funding for FY02 and now proposes eliminating the program’s funding in
FY03. Congress initiated the program in 1987, and approved $4.7 million in
funding in 1995.
The program has a long history of implementing effective programs and
projects and obtaining high levels of matching funds. The program has
representatives in every state and has done an effective job of
integrating state goals into the program and communicating these goals to
the Department of Energy. The program helps leverage funds for key
projects and maintains a network of bioenergy professionals who work in
each state to develop and carry out state-specific goals. In an era when
energy security and fuel diversity are major concerns, it is important to
maintain and expand this small but extremely important
program.
We respectfully request your support for this appropriation request,
and urge you to include language that directs the Department of Energy to
fund the existing five Biomass Energy Regions to continue existing
activities to promote and develop the utilization of biomass energy in
cooperation with the 50 states and territories.
Sincerely,
Bob Holden
Governor of
Missouri and
Chair, Governors’ Ethanol Coalition
John Hoeven
Governor
of North Dakota and
Vice Chair, Governors’ Ethanol
Coalition
c: The Honorable Peter J. Visclosky,
Ranking Member, House Energy
and Water Subcommittee
The Honorable Pete V. Domenici,
Ranking Member, Senate Energy and
Water Subcommittee
The Honorable Thad Cochran
The Honorable Roger
Wicker
National Association of State Energy
Officials
Southern States Energy Board
Coalition of Northeastern Governors
Western Governors’ Association
Midwest Governors’ Conference
