Policy Perspectives: Talking Efficiency Policy with Senator Ron Wyden

By Alliance policy intern Ali Levine

“Everyone says they are for an all-of-the-above energy strategy, but is anyone going to say energy efficiency should be the centerpiece?” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked at an Alliance Associates Policy Perspectives breakfast in Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2012.

During his talk the senator explained that energy efficiency has always been a bipartisan issue, but recent political challenges have made it difficult to pass legislation. He argued that there is a need to “retrofit energy efficiency policies” to restore bipartisanship and laid out the following four-part plan to ensure that efficiency is at the core of our national energy strategy.

Four-Part Plan: Saving Real People, Real Energy

• Step 1: First and foremost, “energy efficiency programs have to focus on saving real energy in the real world that human beings understand,” Wyden said. He showed how efficiency programs can really help people through several examples, including a program in Condon, Oregon that – after a struggle to hold onto an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant – finally received stimulus money to repair water infrastructure and cut energy use for water by 25%.
• Step 2: The senator’s second step is to build on successes, such as the one seen with the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program. He explained that this voluntary program has incentivized innovation from producers, as well as educated customers how to save money with efficient appliances.
• Step 3: Keeping consumers in mind, Wyden’s third recommendation is to preserve federal energy efficiency incentives, like tax credits, to make it easier for consumers to make their homes more efficient.
• Step 4: According to Wyden, the last piece to the puzzle is to improve the U.S. electric grid. To do this, Wyden recommends engaging in a national conversation on how to make upgrading and managing our grid beneficial for consumers. “It is forums like [this breakfast] that will drive the issue. There needs to be more discussions among stakeholders like the ones that were had around CAFE standards,” Wyden said.

More on Sen. Ron Wyden and Energy

• Wyden on Energy Independence, Wyden.Senate.Gov web page
• Senators Seek Two-Year Extension of Wind-Energy Tax Credit, Wyden office press release (March 15, 2012)

More on Alliance Policy Perspectives Events

The monthly Policy Perspectives series connects Alliance Associates with key legislators and policymakers in energy efficiency. Only Alliance Associates are invited to these exclusive events, which are kept to a small audience of less than 50 individuals for a flowing discussion following the policymaker’s remarks.

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