The Senate Appropriations Committee has made earmarks funded by the Department of Energy ineligible for fiscal 2027, removing a source of funding for local energy projects that totaled nearly $100 million this fiscal year.
Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released their guidance for the next round of spending bills this week, laying out the various accounts from which senators can request federal funding for projects in their home states.
Missing from the funding buckets previously available to members under the Energy-Water bill is DOE’s “Energy Projects” account, which has allowed senators to request federal dollars for local initiatives related to energy efficiency and renewable energy; cybersecurity and energy security; electricity; fossil energy and carbon management; or nuclear energy.
While year-to-year changes to eligible earmark categories are common, the removal of the “Energy Projects” account could deprive states of tens of millions of federal dollars for energy research and development projects at a time when the electric grid is aging and cyber threats to critical energy infrastructure are growing.
