Washington (Platts)--6Feb2008

Democrats on the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on
Wednesday sharply criticized Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman for proposals in
the department's $25-billion fiscal 2009 budget that would cut funding for
energy efficiency and renewable energy programs by 27% from current levels.

Included in the cuts is the proposed elimination of the agency's
low-income weatherization program. Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, a New
Mexico Democrat, called the proposal "wrong-headed" and promised to work to
reverse it.

"The Weatherization Assistance Program is a valuable and successful
program," Bingaman said. "Cutting funding for this important program is
particularly hard to understand when heating oil prices have almost doubled
since 2003, propane is up 75%, natural gas up by 50% and electricity is 21%
more expensive."

The senator cited a report by McKenzie and Company, released in December,
which found that one of the easiest ways to help reduce greenhouse gas
emissions would be to improve building insulation.

"The only significant effort we have at [the] federal level is
weatherization," Bingaman said. "How is the administration reaching that
conclusion to remove that program?"

Bodman replied that the program "does not stack up in my opinion."

Also on Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland
Democrat, told reporters that the Bush budget is "not real," adding that the
"first step is to pass a [congressional] budget that will reflect our
democratic priorities. Clearly, energy, basic research, alternative fuels,
renewable fuels, energy efficiency, are all high priorities for us."
"Our budget will reflect those priorities, and it will obviously be different
than the budget that was submitted to us," Hoyer continued, saying of Bush,
"he won't be held accountable for it, because he'll be out of office."