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Time for a Vote for Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness

Apr 29, 2014

Anticipating a Senate floor vote next week, business groups and individual companies are making a push for passage of S.2074, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014. BRT joined the others in a full-page ad in POLITICO on Monday, urging a vote for the bill to "build a stronger, more efficient energy America."

Dave Cote, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell, made the case for the legislative package -- actually, a predecessor bill -- in a May 13, 2013, letter to the bill's sponsors, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH). (Cote chairs BRT's Energy & Environment Committee.) He wrote:

Improving energy efficiency often is not doing one big thing but rather doing many smaller things better.  By addressing residential and commercial buildings, federal facilities, and industrial processes; promoting public-private partnerships; and providing seed money for state and local government efforts, your bill will help build on the progress we have made in the past several decades toward using energy more wisely.  We strongly support your bill and look forward to working with you as it proceeds through the legislative process.
 

Floor debate on S. 2074 may be complicated by a push by some Senators to force action on the much-delayed Keystone XL pipeline. (See POLITICO, "Democrats weigh Keystone vote options.") BRT strongly supports completion of the northern leg of the TransCanada pipeline, including legislation to compel its approval. Obviously, it's up to the Senate to determine its legislative process, but the goal should be to get both the energy-efficiency bill and the pipeline done.

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The bill is in fact changed from last year's legislation. From the National Journal, Feb. 27, "Senate Duo Debuts 'New and Improved' Energy-Efficiency Bill":

Bill sponsors tacked on 10 new bipartisan amendments in a bid to win the 60 votes needed to end debate in the upper chamber when the measure is brought back to the floor. The provisions range from incentives for energy-savings retrofits in schools and low-income housing projects to a program that boosts energy efficiency in commercial properties. The legislation also picked up a number of additional sponsors, including Senate Republicans John Hoeven of North Dakota and Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Moderate Democrats such as Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have also added their names in support of the bill.

According to estimates by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, the bill would save $16.2 billion annually and keep 95 million metric tons of carbon emissions from escaping into the atmosphere by 2030.

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