As part of President Trump’s resolution to cut government spending, the White House has proposed drastic budget reductions for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) -and for its clean-energy office. These may affect the State Energy Program (SEP), which has yielded broad-ranging health and economic benefits.

Depending on the outcome of congressional negotiations, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) might have a 60-percent reduction in funding for 2018. This would be only $636 million as compared to $2.069 billion in 2017, according to the 2018 budget documents.

However, it is entirely possible the final decision may reflect the priorities of other stakeholders- including citizens, politicians, lobbyists, business and workers.

One program that might be defunded due to the budget cuts is the SEP. The SEP provides grant funding and technical assistance to states and territories to improve energy security, advance energy initiative, and decrease energy waste.

Read more (Clean Energy Finance Forum)