(December 15, 2104) The big news from our nation’s capital this past week has been the passage of the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015, which began on October 1^st. The federal government had been operating on funding extensions and was facing a deadline that risked another government shutdown. At this writing the bill has been passed that will fund government operations through the remainder of FY2015 and the President is expected to sign it.

The bad news is that some clean energy programs of the Farm Bill were cut, including the mandatory funding in the new Farm Bill approved by the same Congress just this past March.

The following table provides a summary of the funding changes. You can find a summary of 5-year program funding here. Note that “mandatory funding” refers to funding provided in the 2014 Farm Bill unless changed. When mandatory funding is cut, it’s referred to as a “CHIMP” or “Change in Mandatory Programs.” “Discretionary funding” refers to an appropriation made each year by Congressional appropriation committees.

Changes to Farm Bill Energy Title Programs in FY2015 “Cromnibus” Bill

All dollars in millions

The additional $1.35 million in discretionary funding for REAP is restricted to only loan guarantees.