Federal ARRA funded Cancer Research and Renewable Energy programs? Fuggetaboutit!

by

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts office released their summary of federal stimulus spending provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Despite access to a massive billion-dollar fund, Texas has failed to garner much of the money it requested.

Six environmental projects, including the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund and the state Clean Diesel Grant Program, received their full funding, but the main EPA initiative here received none of the funds requested. The EPA wanted $595,626.00, by far the lowest amount of all seven projects. The others ranged from $1.8 million to $180 million. Clearly in environmental terms, the funds spent in Texas focus on maintenance, not progress.

The shortfall doesn’t stop there. The National Science Foundation received little of the funding it requested for Texas. Only engineering grants received stimulus funding, but less than 10 percent of their desired funds: a meager $408,645 awarded of $4,658,105.00 requested.

One intriguing aspect of the Texas stimulus disbursement can be seen within the U.S. Department of Energy. Fossil Energy Research and Development was granted over $5 million. While the U.S. is still dependent upon fossil fuel sources for energy, greener energy initiatives have been in full force across the country. Federal bureaucrats have provided a clear indication where they stand on renewable energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology Deployment, Demonstration and Commercialization received no funding whatsoever.

Looking

at Texas’ disbursement as a whole, no department has fallen short of their requested funds nearly as badly as the U.S. Department of Health and Human services. All seven cancer projects were rejected. Other areas such as Human Genome Research and the Medicare Enrollment Assistance Program received nothing as well. Health and Human Services all together had fallen $2.5 billion short of $7.7 billion desired.

Not every federal government department or agency is going to receive their full amount of ARRA stimulus funds, but it is disturbing when Fossil Fuel research programs haven taken more precedence than environmental protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy or any sort of Cancer research.

A full Texas Stimulus Funding-Federal Grant Summary can be seen here, provided by the Window on State Government website.