Advocating for Public Policies to Promote the Development & Production of Alternative Fuels, Renewable Chemicals, Biobased Products, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition
View AFCC's Annual Appropriations Requests for:
| FY2026 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
​| AFCC's FY2021 Legislative Victory: Improvements to the DOE Title 17 Loan Guarantee Program |
| How to Lobby Effectively | How to Find & Contact Your Members of Congress |
Here's What You Can Do
In Defense of the U.S. Department of Energy's
Transformative Loan & Grant Programs
If you are reading these words, you can make a difference, a big difference, by calling or, better yet, sending three short messages, one each to your U.S. Representative and Senators, to support the federal funding programs that are under threat and essential to advancing the bioeconomy.
​
You can find the names, office phone numbers, and links to website contact forms for your Members of Congress by typing in your address at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.
Clicking “contact” under each Member’s name will take you to their website contact forms where you can fill in your name, address, and type in your message.
​
You can use the sample message below or, even better, create your own.
​
The more people who reach out to their Members of Congress, the more impact it will have, and the greater difference it will it will make
… enough, perhaps, to underscore the significant benefits that the DOE’s grant and loan programs provide to local communities, constituents, and U.S. global competitiveness … not just now, but going forward in the future … and to push back against the calls for their curtailment.
Here's A Suggested Message
Subject: In Defense of the DOE's Transformative Grant and Loan Programs
​
Message Topic: Appropriations
​
Message: Dear Representative/Senator _______________, I am writing after reading the Part 1 and Part 2 articles in Biofuels Digest "In Defense of the U.S. Department of Energy's Transformative Loan and Grant Programs." The Digest claims 6.3 million unique readers, followers, and viewers worldwide, who live, work, contribute to, or have a keen interest in the energy economy.
​
My interest in the energy sector is as a constituent and as an ______________ [energy developer / innovator / producer /consumer … please briefly describe your role in the energy sector].
​
In reading the April 1 Part 1 and April 4 Part 2 articles, I learned things I never knew before, such as:
-- how much money the DOE’s Title 17 and ATVM loan programs make for the U.S. Treasury, far in excess of their costs each year;
​
-- how they do what traditional financial institutions in the private sector are unwilling to do, which is to lend to high-risk, first-of-a-kind projects, yet have a loss rate that is comparable with traditional financial institutions;
​
-- how many of the criticisms leveled at the DOE grant and loan programs are the result of misunderstandings, incidents taken out of context, or a lack of awareness about the benefits these programs provide.
​
-- how the DOE grant programs play a critical role in advancing innovations with early-stage promise to the threshold of commercialization.
​
I checked the sources referenced by the two articles, upon which their conclusions are based, and found the sources to be credible and reliable.
​
I have come away with a new appreciation and support for the DOE’s programs … along with a better understanding of the potential they have for benefiting our [District/State].
​
I urge you to ask your staff to read these articles. They can find them by going to:
and
​
I also urge you to ask your staff to view the FY2026 appropriations requests for these programs prepared by the Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition on behalf of its 150+ member companies. These requests can be viewed and downloaded at: https://www.altfuelchem.org/fy2026-appropriation-requests.
Thank you for your consideration.
​
I would like to receive a response: Yes.
Take Advantage of the Federal Funding That is Available
Despite the cutbacks that have been in the news, and are the subject of the Part 1 and Part 2 articles in Biofuels Digest, many grant and loan programs have been green lighted and are still available.
​
The funding opportunities that have been enacted in statute and for which annual appropriations have been provided by the U.S. Congress to federal agencies to advance innovations through each Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from concept to commercial realization can be viewed at Federal Funding Opportunities for Each TRL.
For information on securing funding through federal grants, loans, and loan guarantees, contact Goran Nikolic, Federal Financing Services, Email: goran@fedfundingservices.com; Tel: +1 646-321-0433.​​