On the Manager’s Amendment to the Leiberman-Warner Bill: Kateri Callahan, President, The Alliance to Save Energy

“We commend Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and her colleagues for recognizing the importance of energy efficiency in climate legislation that will be taken up by the Senate on June 2nd,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy of the Manager’s amendment to the Lieberman-Warner bill. “A carbon cap and trade would help drive energy efficiency, but other drivers also will be needed beyond a price signal,” she said. “The Alliance supports strong complementary policies under a cap and trade to maximize the impact of energy efficiency in achieving early reductions.

“Energy efficiency is the quickest and cheapest means of achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions, and I am pleased that under the Managers’ Amendment crafted by Sen. Boxer, funding for energy efficiency would increase many-fold – to levels on the order of $25 billion annually from 2012 to 2050,” stated Callahan.

Sen. Boxer offered her amendment as a substitute to the Lieberman-Warner bill when the Senate reconvened after the Memorial Day recess and proceeded to consider the climate change bill.

“The Managers’ Amendment reflects the crucial role energy efficiency must play in reducing carbon emissions,” Callahan stated. “While we would like to see some changes in the way the amendment would deploy energy-efficiency programs, we appreciate that funding for energy efficiency is be ‘carved out’ so efficiency doesn’t compete against low-income assistance or other key features of the bill.”

”The Alliance to Save Energy urges the Senate to support the energy-efficiency provisions contained in the Managers’ Amendment during the forthcoming debate on S. 2191,” concluded Callahan.