R&D Outsourcing Innovation in Energy
The budget battles currently raging in Washington DC threaten to shut down R&D innovation in important fields like energy technology at a time when it is needed more then ever. The importance of sustained political commitment to the funding of R&D in developing the next generation of energy technologies cannot be overstated.
The outcome of political spending decisions made today will have substantial influence on America's energy future. Details of a budget compromise have yet to be released, but the proposals presented by the two parties offer stark differences in policy choice. The Obama vision would increase clean energy R&D outsourcing, while the House Republicans' budgets would propose significant cuts. Politics should not be allowed to hobble our commitment to energy innovation, or we may find ourselves decades from now lamenting the damage done by climate change and rising oil prices that could have been averted.