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Tonko Supports House Bill to Fund Government, Enhance Priorities

Rep. highlights many positive aspects of bipartisan funding bill; Still concerned with impact on fuel cell industry

Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) today voted in favor of H.R. 2029, a bill to fund the federal government through the 2016 fiscal year. The bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 316-113 and is expected to be taken up by the United States Senate later today.

“This bill invests in our future, particularly in the clean energy sector, which is poised for continued growth and job opportunities in the Capital Region. In addition, we invest in life saving research and programs that assist those with mental health disorders. These are key priorities that we finally have certainty will be funded for the remainder of the year. However, the process of waiting until the last minute deadline to take action, coupled with the weeks of secret negotiations, continue to be troubling. I hope that as we enter the new year Congress is able to change business as usual and work harder and smarter on behalf of our constituents,” said Tonko.

The bill’s investments in Congressman Tonko’s priorities include the following:

        · Renewable Energy:Provides a major boost to renewable energy by extending the wind Production Tax Credit for five years (through 2019), and extending the solar Investment Tax Credit for five years (through 2021), while phasing both credits down somewhat over time.  Extending the solar tax credit is estimated to create 61,000 jobs in 2017 alone.  It is also estimated that the wind industry will grow to over 100,000 jobs over four years with the renewed wind tax credit.

        · Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy R&D:  Provides an 8 percent increase over 2015 for R&D activities in the pursuit of new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

        · Mental Health:Provides an additional $50 million to the Mental Health Block Grant that funds mental health programs in local communities and places a priority on supporting early intervention strategies.

        · Medical Research: Medical research at NIH has been underfunded for the last several years.  This bill provides $900 million more than the House GOP bill and $2 billion more than 2015 for this life-saving research.

        · Infrastructure:The popular TIGER grants are being used across the country to repair infrastructure and contribute to economic growth. The House GOP bill had slashed TIGER grants by 80 percent, which would have hurt job creation, but this bill restores the funding to the 2015 level of $500 million.

        · Naval Reactors: The bill fully funds the Department of Energy’s Naval Reactors program with $1.375 billion. A good portion of this funding will be used for research and development and training at Naval Reactors facilities in Schenectady and Saratoga counties, where critical work is done to support the Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers.

Finally, the Omnibus includes several other important provisions:

        · Reauthorizes the key James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, making the Health Program permanent and reauthorizing the Victims Compensation Fund for five years;

        · Delays the so-called “Cadillac” tax, a tax on employer-provided health plans worth over a certain threshold, for two years – from 2018 to 2020; and

        · Reauthorizes the Land and Conservation Fund, which is one of our country’s most successful outdoor recreation and conservation programs and which Republicans allowed to expire on September 30.

However, there was a serious shortcoming in the bill that must be addressed in the new year. The extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) only included solar technology. This tax credit was originally created to assist a number of developing new technologies, including fuel cells, geothermal, combined heat and power, small wind turbines, etc. By not including fuel cells in the extension, this bill does a disservice to companies in the Capital Region like Plug Power.

“Failure to include fuel cells and other technologies in the ITC extension is a serious concern,” said Tonko. “However, Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi have given their assurance that this oversight will be addressed in the first appropriate revenue bill that comes across our desk in January. I will continue to fight to ensure companies like Plug Power have the tax credit parity and certainty they deserve to continue to grow and create jobs in upstate New York.”

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