March 1, 2005

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Better legislating, but also more pork? In the name of greater legislative efficiency, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has approved a major reorganization under which the number of subcommittees decreases from 13 to 10. As part of the shift, U.S.Energy Department fuel cell funding that used to be overseen by the Interior appropriations subcommittee will now move to the energy and water subcommittee which already controls funding for DoE’s hydrogen program. On paper it looks like a laudably logical move, but some Washington operatives worry that this may portend more Congressional earmarks - better known as pork: They point to the fact that in recent years big chunks of DoE’s hydrogen program funding - about a third last year by some estimates - were preempted by Congressional prerogative to claim money for home or pet projects. The fear now is that fuel cell programs may also become more pork-afflicted than in the past. Robert Rose, the U.S. Fuel Cell Council’s executive director, says he and his colleagues hope to convince Congress to forgo the earmarks unless they are additions to core program funding. Adds Rose, “We believe the core program should be funded first. Taking money from the core program disrupts DoE’s careful planning process and cheapens the competitive bidding process that most participants must navigate.”