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Letter to The Honorable Mike Simpson, Chairman, and Honorable Marcy Kaptur, Ranking Memeber, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, House on Appropriations - Fund Israel Energy Cooperation

Letter

By: Tom McClintock, Alan Grayson, Cheri Bustos, Donald Norcross, Carolyn Maloney, Bill Johnson, Dan Newhouse, Doug Lamborn, Eliot Engel, Eleanor Norton, Jerry McNerney, Jeff Miller, Jim Himes, Gerry Connolly, John Sarbanes, John Larson, John Katko, Loretta Sanchez, Lois Frankel, Marc Veasey, Ryan Costello, Adam Schiff, Corrine Brown, Al Green, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Chaka Fattah, Sr., Donna Edwards, Dave Loebsack, Elizabeth Esty, Grace Napolitano, Hakeem Jeffries, Jared Polis, Gus Bilirakis, Jackie Walorski, Jan Schakowsky, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Kyrsten Sinema, Nydia Velázquez, Roger Williams, Paul Cook, Peter DeFazio, Linda Sánchez, Michael Coffman, Mike Fitzpatrick, Martha McSally, Mark Takai, Mark Pocan, Scott Peters, Yvette Clarke, Ted Poe, Stephen Lynch, Brad Sherman, Alan Lowenthal, Eric Swalwell, Frederica Wilson, Dan Lipinski, Don Payne, Jr., Charlie Rangel, Dina Titus, David Cicilline, Filemon Vela, Jr., Jim Costa, Grace Meng, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Julia Brownley, Kathleen Rice, Pete King, Bob Dold, Pete Olson, Richard Neal, Mark Takano, Mike Quigley, Mike Kelly, Jr., Marcia Fudge, Tony Cárdenas, Sean Maloney, Sheila Jackson Lee, Steve Cohen, Bill Keating, Doris Matsui, Curt Clawson, Blake Farenthold, Bill Foster, Brian Higgins, Brendan Boyle, Barbara Comstock, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Austin Scott, Chris Gibson, Brad Ashford, Annie Kuster, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Rick Crawford, Jared Huffman, Garret Graves, Jim Langevin, Gene Green, Gwen Moore, John Garamendi, John Fleming, Jr., John Delaney, Kevin Cramer, Paul Tonko, Mike Honda, Mike Bost, Leonard Lance, Ted Lieu, Sandy Levin, Ami Bera, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Beto O'Rourke, Adam Kinzinger, Albio Sires, David McKinley, Ann Kirkpatrick, Elijah Cummings, Janice Hahn, Jerry Nadler, Joe Barton, Juan Vargas, Keith Rothfus, Ruben Gallego, Peter Roskam, Raul Ruiz, Randy Weber, Sr., Mark DeSaulnier, Lee Zeldin, Tim Murphy, Tulsi Gabbard, Ted Deutch, Suzan DelBene
Date: March 15, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Energy

Dear Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur,

We are writing to request that the subcommittee provide at least $2 million for the implementation of the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement in the FY2017 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

This funding will be utilized to further implement Section 917 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, P.L. 110-140, and the May 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Israel on strategic energy cooperation. As you are aware, Congress passed in 2014, and the President signed into law, the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act (P.L. 113-296). Among other important provisions, the measure reauthorized the cooperative energy program through 2024 and expanded its mandate, covering collaborative R&D into renewable technologies, natural gas and water -- key areas of interest for the United States.

We greatly appreciate the support your subcommittee has provided for this program in the past. The U.S. government has provided $13.7 million for the program since its inception. The funding has been fully matched by the Government of Israel; this is not an aid program. During the same period, the program has also leveraged over $32 million in private sector cost-sharing.

This program is an important tool in our efforts to achieve greater energy security and independence, and leverages small grant dollars to incentivize private sector innovation and new partnerships in the pursuit of a critical objective. U.S.-Israel projects currently underway include advancements in energy production over water reservoirs, lowering energy consumption for water treatment, energy optimization for manufacturers, wind energy storage, reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for tractor trailers, and noise control for distributed power generation.

Continued funding for the program will provide for collaborative U.S. and Israeli research and development efforts in areas critical to both the United States and Israel and unite our countries in the pursuit of increased energy security, energy independence and water efficiency -- an issue of growing importance to much of the U.S. West and Southwest, and an area where Israel is truly the world leader.

Companies across the U.S. are working through this program to develop cutting-edge technologies with new partners in Israel in order to advance America's energy security. Furthermore, the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement facilitates greater cooperation and sharing of knowledge between American and Israeli universities.

Collaboration between the American and Israeli private sector and academia will significantly enhance U.S. efforts to develop new technologies to the benefit of our economic and national security.

We thank you for your consideration and for your prior support of this program and request your continued support for FY2017.


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