Facing congressional budget cuts, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., is eliminating approximately 100 to 150 jobs.
An NREL spokesperson told the Denver Post that NREL was forced to find more than $8 million in savings, based on congressional budget forecasts. ‘We don't see any budget scenario where the lab doesn't face budget cuts,’ he said.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., who represents NREL's congressional territory, criticized the move as counterproductive at a time when he believes job creation should a primary priority for Congress.
‘[Republicans'] reckless action of passing budgets six weeks at a time means NREL is forced to offer voluntary staff reductions at a time when we need to invest more in their innovative work to ensure our national economic security and energy independence,’ Perlmutter said in a statement. ‘My number-one priority is to get people back to work here in our country, because that's the best thing we can do to pay our debt and move forward toward economic stability.’