U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) urged the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development to allocate $2 million in funding for the U.S.-Israel Energy
Cooperative Agreement for FY2012, which is included in the House Appropriations
bill. The debate in the Senate over funding starts this week. Senator Gillibrand
has led the fight over the years ensuring that this critical grant program
between the United States and Israel continues.
Senators Gillibrand, Wyden, and Kirk wrote in their letter, “We write to you
in support of the $2 million provided in the House FY2012 Energy and Water
Appropriations Bill to maintain the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement. We
understand that you are facing a difficult budget environment, which forces you
to make difficult choices. We believe that this is an investment worth
maintaining – for the sake of U.S. jobs, our important bilateral relationship
with our ally Israel, and the energy innovation this relationship produces…
Congress should continue to support the funding of this successful model, which
is not only important for our bilateral relationship, but beneficial to our
economy and our security. I thank you for your consideration and support of this
program.”
To date, funding for the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement have
yielded advances in important areas such as energy grid management, biodiesel,
and solar energy – creating numerous opportunities for American companies in New
York and across the United States.
Funding for the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement has been allocated
in the last three appropriation acts – FY2009, FY2010, and FY2011. Last year,
Polytechnic Institute of New York and Holon Institute of Technology in Israel
received $200,000 in funding for energy-efficient, large DC-gain
switched-capacitor-based converters for alternative sources.
Senator Gillibrand has led the fight to preserve the continuation of this
important private-public collaboration for energy research and development
initiatives. In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Byron
Dorgan and Ranking Member Senator Robert Bennett last year, Senator Gillibrand
wrote, “I strongly support the aim of renewable energy collaboration between the
U.S. and Israel. Our work with Israel, a world leader in green energy research
and development, has great promise for the future of marketable alternative
energy technologies… U.S.-Israel collaboration and the work of foundations such
as BIRD and BSF have had a lasting and fundamental impact on our countries’
economies and relationship.”
The funds for this program will be administered by the United States-Israel
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) and the United
States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), for renewable-energy research
and development cooperative projects between the two nations. Since first
appropriated, the U.S. contribution to this partnership has been matched $3 to
$1 by the Israeli government and the private sector, making this a sound
investment for the U.S. government.
Businesses throughout the United States, including New York State, have
benefited from the funding of scientific collaboration between the U.S. and
Israel because it has served as a catalyst of innovation and economic growth.
In fact, New York as the second largest state recipient of BIRD grants, has
attracted over 650 allocations. Senator Gillibrand believes that preserving this
cooperative agreement is not only important for U.S.-Israel bilateral
relationship, but beneficial for the United State’s economy and security.
(Source: Gillibrand’s Office)
