Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
July 16, 2021
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) celebrated the Energy Infrastructure Act clearing a committee vote this week with inclusion of significant portions of their legislation, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act. The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to advance the bill with key provisions they fought for that will help improve energy efficiency and climate resilience of buildings and industrial facilities, as well as invest in clean energy jobs.
Policy experts at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that when fully enacted, the ESIC Act through 2050 would save consumers more than $51 billion on their energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 billion tons, which is the equivalent of taking nearly 280 million cars off the road for one year. A previous study from ACEEE also estimated that their legislation would add more than 100,000 jobs to the economy.
“As we face growing energy challenges in New Hampshire and across the nation, investing in energy efficiency is among our best lines of defense – not only does it protect our environment, but it also strengthens our infrastructure and creates good-paying jobs. That’s why I’m pleased that significant priorities from our bill are included in the Energy Infrastructure Act, which cleared a key committee hurdle this week,” said Shaheen. “From ensuring our buildings are climate-resilient to strengthening our economy and reducing pollution, this bill is a common-sense step to invest in a greener future. I appreciate Senator Portman’s continued partnership to promote energy efficiency over the years, and I’m committed to working across the aisle to ensure that in this Congress we meaningfully act on energy efficiency.”
“I am pleased that a significant number of provisions from my bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act with Senator Shaheen were passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as part of the Energy Infrastructure Act,” said Senator Portman. “These are common-sense measures that will increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions across the economy. We need a balanced approach to protecting our environment and reducing emissions, while also safeguarding our economy and jobs – our bipartisan efficiency legislation will accomplish just that. I look forward to continuing to make important progress on energy efficiency this Congress, which will benefit all Americans.”
Specifically, provisions from their signature ESIC Act that passed committee as part of the Energy Infrastructure Act include:
- $120,000,000 from FY 2022-2026 to fund centers that identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency at manufacturing and industrial facilities;
- A $45,000,000 annual grant program from FY 2022-2026 to implement cost-effective building codes for efficiency and resilience;
- A $10,000,000 grant program for FY 2022 at education institutions to establish building training and assessment centers to implement modern building technologies;
- A $10,000,000 grant program for FY 2022 to invest in career training programs for students to receive certificates to build energy efficient buildings technologies;
- The creation of technical assessments for manufacturers to maximize energy efficiency, prevent pollution, improve water usage, conserve natural resources and more;
- A requirement for information-sharing between the EIA and EPA related to commercial energy consumption data
The Committee-passed bill also includes several other legislative priorities of Shaheen, including the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act, the Heat Efficiency through Applied Technology (HEAT) Act and the Promoting American Energy Jobs Act. Together, these bills will promote innovation, energy efficiency and economic competitiveness of American manufacturers and support the energy workforce.
Senator Shaheen is a leader in the Senate for safeguarding our environment, combating the effects of climate change and investing in energy efficiency policies. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Shaheen traveled to Paris to participate in high-level discussions at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference that led to the international Paris Climate Accord. Shaheen is a founding member of the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, which brings together an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to craft and advance bipartisan solutions to address climate change.
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