Senate Passes Sanders Amendment to Fund Williston Solar Regional Testing Center

Excerpt:

Monday, June 25, 2018

WASHINGTON, June 25 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced that the “minibus” appropriations bill that passed the Senate Monday by a 86-5 vote includes a Sanders-authored amendment to provide $4 million in federal funding to continue operations of the Vermont Regional Test Center (RTC) dedicated to researching solar technologies.

The Vermont RTC, located on land owned by GlobalFoundaries in Williston, is one of five U.S. Department of Energy facilities in the United States that give solar technology manufacturers the opportunity to test and validate the performance and reliability of their products in real-world conditions.

The Trump administration has proposed eliminating funding for the RTCs for the past two years. Sanders’ amendment, however, provides more than $4 million to ensure the ongoing operation of the RTCs. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored Sanders’ amendment.

The idea for the Vermont solar research facility came after Sanders visited the New Mexico RTC in 2008. At the time, Sandia National Labs operated four solar RTCs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. None were located in a northern, wet and cold climate.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-sanders-amendment-to-fund-williston-solar-regional-testing-center-