Obama waves veto pen at House Energy Dept. spending bill

{mosads}The “statement of administration policy” bashes an array Energy Department cuts in the bill, including its proposed cut for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

The White House notes that the $746 million that House GOP lawmakers want to provide EERE is 73 percent less than the administration has requested and would be the “lowest enacted level of funding in real terms for EERE in the history of the Department.”

“Funding reductions are disproportionately taken in EERE, dramatically cutting the current level of critical Federal investments in innovative clean energy research and development at a time of significant global competition and progress,” the White House said.

That’s one of numerous White House criticisms of the GOP-crafted bill.

Elsewhere, the statement takes aim at provisions that would limit the reach of regulators under the Clean Water Act.

The bill would “prevent the use of funds to address known deficiencies and regulatory uncertainties related to Clean Water Act regulations in order to protect important aquatic resources while supporting economic development,” the White House said.