The Shaheen-Portman Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 appears to have hit a slowdown. And now it could be facing a new name: The Shaheen-Portman Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014.
The bill, supported by NAED, establishes a range of measures to reduce energy consumption in the industrial and government sectors, and also includes financing mechanisms for states to incentivize energy efficiency upgrades in commercial buildings. The bill also features rebate programs for efficient motors and transformers. It was introduced by Democratic Senator Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.
The electrical industry knows the benefits of energy efficiency and has a wide variety of products that decrease energy usage and responsibly help conserve resources.
According to Politico, the Senate could “move to proceed” on the energy bill this week, once lawmakers finish work on a transportation and housing spending bill, according to a Senate leadership aide. But the spending bill will “eat up most of the time available for actual floor action,” the aide said. That means the efficiency bill likely won’t get a vote until after lawmakers return from the August recess.
Shaheen and Portman wrote a brief letter in support of the bill on Politico, saying in part, “For the past three years, we have worked together to develop the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, legislation that will go a long way toward making the United States more energy efficient and more economically competitive. Our bill makes good environmental sense. It makes good energy sense. And it makes good economic sense, too.”
Several amendments may be proposed to the bill, from climate change issues to votes related to the Keystone XL pipeline. NAED is focusing on protecting distributors from any harmful amendments, and we encourage Congress to focus on the core measures in the Shaheen-Portman bill, which is the first energy bill to be considered on the Senate floor since the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
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