At FCNL, we seek to protect vulnerable communities and God’s Creation from climate change and environmental degradation. We believe that President Obama’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2017 is a very strong step towards achieving these goals.
Obama’s budget can be characterized as “an outgoing presidential wish-list,” designed more to be a conversation piece about future policies, rather than a precise plan for FY 2017. Despite that, Obama’s budget outlines some ambitious goals as the United States continues to be a leader of global efforts to mitigate climate change, transition to a clean energy economy, and help vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change.
International Climate Finance
The budget provides $1.3 billion to advance the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI), which will help the U.S. meet its commitments to international climate finance through multilateral and bilateral engagements with other nations. This money will support the U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development’s work with developing nations to conserve tropical rainforests, phase down fossil fuel consumption, and expand clean energy use.
This money also includes $750 million towards the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which seeks to help developing countries reduce carbon pollution and adapt to climate change. This funding level of $750 is consistent with Obama’s pledge of $3 billion over four years to GCF, and represents an essential display of U.S. commitment to those nations most affected by climate change. Funding for GCF was critical to achieving such a successful agreement at the 2015 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 21in Paris.
Clean Infrastructure and Transportation
Obama’s proposed budget seeks to invest $320 billion over 10 years in clean infrastructure projects and R&D, to be paid for by a $10.25 per barrel tax on oil. This oil tax is perhaps the most controversial of all of Obama’s environmental initiatives, and is something that Congress has already declared to be “dead on arrival.” The emphasis on transportation is significant, however, given that almost 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissionscome from the transportation sector. Obama would like a full $32 billion for renovating our transportation infrastructure, including $20 billion for expanding mass-transportation options and $10 billion for clean-transportation infrastructure.
Clean Energy Research
The budget allocates a total of $9 billion across 12 Federal agencies for clean energy technology programs, doubling the spending on clean energy research from $6.4 billion to $12.8 billion by 2021. This emphasis on clean energy is fulfilling the U.S. commitment to Mission Innovation, the landmark agreement among 20 countries to double government funding for clean energy R&D over five years.
Specifically, DOE will get over $500 million to increase the use of solar, wind, water, and geothermal energy, and $1.8 billion will go towards basic clean energy research on energy production, storage, and use.
Community Resilience
Obama’s budget includes funding for flood, coastal, drought, and wildland fire resilience, which is very important since many communities are already dealing with the effects of climate change. Included in this resilience pool is $311 million for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Risk Mapping efforts, $2 billion to reduce the risks facing coastal communities, almost $100 million for DOI’s WaterSMART program, which promotes water conservation initiatives, and $6 million to fund a Resilience AmeriCorps pilot program to assist communities as they seek to address climate impacts.
Obama’s budget also provides $400 million to help cover “unique circumstances confronting vulnerable Alaskan communities, including relocation expenses for Alaska Native villages threatened by rising seas, coastal erosion, and storm surges.” Alaskan native villages are already ground zero for climate impacts, so we see this funding as particularly important, especially as we consider our moral obligations to protect vulnerable communities.
Land and Water Conservation Fund
The proposed budget fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and invests $900 million in conservation and recreation projects, money taken from offshore oil and gas drilling revenues. The LWCF has broad bipartisan support, even though its funding was temporarily allowed to expire in 2015, for the first time in decades.
The Power+ Plan
Obama’s budget provides funding to help communities in Appalachia most affected by the transition away from a coal-based economy. This money will help communities diversify their economies by creating new jobs, attracting new sources of job-creating investment, providing job training to dislocated workers, and addressing barriers related to adequate water, sewer, and telecommunication infrastructure.
What to watch for in the Congressional budget?
Now that Obama has proposed his budget, it is up to Congress to decide how and where they want to allocate funding. Throughout this process, it will be important to watch for harmful policy riders, which are controversial provisions that are usually attached to larger bills because they would be unable to pass by themselves.
For example, some members of Congress might try to abolish President Obama’s signature climate policy, the Clean Power Plan, through a policy rider in an appropriations bill. Members could also seek to expedite the exportation of liquid natural gas (LNG). We will keep an eye out for these and other harmful provisions that could be introduced.
Additionally, we will carefully follow conversations about climate finance, to ensure that Obama’s pledge of $750 million to GCF is fully-funded for FY2017. While Congress did not explicitly fund GCF for FY2016, they did not overtly ban the State Department from using its discretionary money to fulfill Obama’s pledge. FCNL will work closely with our other faith partners to ensure that this money will be provided to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
The budget provides an exciting opportunity to shape our nation’s climate and environmental priorities. We will continue to monitor this process, and meet with members of Congress to ensure that the budget reflects a concern for vulnerable communities and God’s Creation.
