Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill Could Lead to A Cleaner, Healthier Environment
Media Contacts
Environment America
Washington, D.C. – This morning Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) are expected to reintroduce the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a bipartisan bill that promotes energy savings in our nation’s buildings, industrial sector, and within the federal government.
“We can build a better, cleaner America by making our buildings and our economy more energy efficient,” said Environment America’s DC Director, Anna Aurilio. “The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act from Senators Shaheen and Portman is a step in the right direction toward cutting pollution and creating a cleaner, healthier environment.”
About 40 percent of the energy used in the United States goes towards powering the buildings in which we live and work. Because much of this energy comes from polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, powering America’s buildings is responsible for nearly one-third of our global warming pollution, which is fueling more extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy and devastating droughts and wildfires. The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act would support the development of model national building codes and encourage a more efficient manufacturing sector.
“We are encouraged by the potential for bipartisan progress on energy efficiency,” continued Aurilio. “However, we are concerned that the bill could be weakened by efforts to undermine existing energy efficiency or renewable energy policy and urge Senators Shaheen and Portman to vigorously oppose these efforts.”
