The President recently signed the FY 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, which funds the government for the remainder of the current fiscal year. The bill increases funding for two key programs that support alternative fuels and vehicles: the Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities program and the U.S. EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Grants. The FY 2018 omnibus bill includes $37.8 million for deployment through the DOE Clean Cities program, a $3.8 million increase over last year’s funding. The Clean Cities program provides critical technical and financial support for the nation’s nearly 90 Clean Cities coalitions, which are leading the charge in promoting clean transportation solutions in communities across the country.
“This is a tremendous victory for Transportation Energy Partners (TEP) and our many partners in the clean transportation industry,” remarked TEP President Sam Spofforth. “It clearly shows the continuing bipartisan support in Congress for clean energy programs.”
Now the focus shifts to funding for Fiscal Year 2019. The Trump Administration’s FY 2019 budget requests a 72 percent cut to the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and elimination of the Clean Cities program. As usual, it will ultimately be up to Congress to determine funding levels and the fate of these important programs for next year.
