House appropriators this afternoon approved by voice vote a fiscal 2013 energy and water spending measure that would cut funds for clean energy, resurrect the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump and increase oversight of agency spending.

The House Appropriations committee's $32 billion spending request is one of 12 spending targets the panel laid out today to reach a $1.028 trillion level to meet the House-passed budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). The House Energy and Water Development subpanel unanimously voted to approve the $32.1 billion proposal last week (Greenwire, April 18).

The measure, which sets spending levels for the Energy Department, Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, represents a $965 million dip below President Obama's fiscal 2013 request.

House Democrats expressed concern that the bill will cut funding for the Energy Department's clean energy programs, efficiency and Office of Science.

"Renewable energy can achieve cost competitiveness, but a continued and sustained research and development program is necessary and appropriate in order to do so," said Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), ranking member on the Appropriations energy and water subcommittee.

The bill would cut DOE's funding to $26.3 billion in fiscal 2013, down from the president's proposal of $27.2 billion. The measure would set aside research money to investigate high gas prices, and grant the DOE $114 million to research mini-nuclear reactors.

Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, the full committee's ranking Democrat, echoed Visclosky's concerns but welcomed the bill's inclusion of $25 million to support licensing of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada, which the Obama administration has abandoned financially and politically.

During the markup, the committee unanimously approved a manager's amendment that modified requirements for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and added oversight requirements for travel, conferences and employee awards at federal agencies. The amendment also restricted the DOE's handling of excess uranium and limited funds for the agency's efforts to cleanup sites that were contaminated from weapons production.

The panel also approved an amendment from Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) that seeks to clarify confusion surrounding the definition of "waters" that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The committee approved the language despite criticism from Visclosky that the language should be dealt with through another process.

The committee approved an amendment from Rehberg that would prevent the country's four power marketing administrations from using appropriations to implement a memo that Energy Secretary Steven Chu issued earlier this year. The order directed the administrations to make upgrades to the grid using a variety of tools, but House Republicans warned the directive would cause power prices to spike.

But the panel rejected amendments that would have increased funding for federal regulators to curb manipulation in the oil markets, and a separate measure that would have banned exports of oil and gas from federal lands. Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said language aimed at curbing halting exports of oil and gas was too complex to be discussed in the committee and should be debated publicly elsewhere.

Rep. Jeff Flake's (R-Ariz.) amendment to cut $171 million from the DOE's research on batteries and electric drive technology was also rejected. Flake said the government shouldn't be investing in risky technology that has the potential to attract private dollars, which he said created the debacle surrounding Solyndra.

But Visclosky and Frelinghuysen said the proposal would have undercut important research into an "all of the above" energy strategy that has the potential to decrease the country's dependence on foreign oil.