From the President's Desk: October 13, 2010

October is National Energy Awareness Month, and I am proud that so many Alliance Associates have joined with us in using this month to educate consumers, opinion leaders and policy makers about the important benefits that accrue from using energy efficiency as our “first fuel” in the building of a clean energy economy. One of our most notable salutes to Energy Awareness Month is our abiding commitment to the pursuit of federal policies that advance energy efficiency. The need to save energy is even more urgent today than it was when Congress decreed Energy Awareness Month two decades ago. Nonetheless, the critical federal policies that are needed to unleash the power of energy efficiency are being held hostage in a Congress deeply divided along party lines.

President Barack Obama recently told the nation that the time to act on energy efficiency is now. “If we seize this moment, we stand to strengthen our economy, enhance our national security and preserve our environment,” he said. I wholeheartedly agree with the president, and the Alliance is hard at work with other advocates to move energy efficiency to the top of the list of priorities for congressional action in the year-end, lame duck session.

While the prospects for passage of any efficiency measures look very dim right now, we refuse to give up. We are redoubling our efforts during the current recess to ensure that one or more of the important energy efficiency provisions pending before Congress make it to the finish line this year. And, even as we continue our concerted campaign in the current Congress, we also are hard at work preparing to pick up the gauntlet and to make very significant gains in the new Congress. Advancing energy efficiency—which has broad bipartisan support and significant economic, security and environmental benefits—should be the very first order of energy business in the new Congress. And, with help from you, we will be rallying our allies on Capitol Hill and educating the freshman class of Members and staff to ensure that it is!

Before the recess, there was notable activity on energy efficiency legislation. The House approved the Rural Star Energy Savings Program, which includes the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program. In the Senate, we witnessed the introduction of the Renewable Electricity Promotion Act (REPA), which requires electric utilities to meet a portion of their electric demand with renewable energy and/or energy efficiency. Very important to our efforts to see something enacted, this legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators led by our own Honorary Vice-Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and includes Alliance Honorary Vice-Chairs Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). This bipartisan action has given the community new hope that a consensus on this important issue can be reached, with possible passage before the end of the year.

This midterm election season will be defined by the economy and the need to create jobs, so we will focus our advocacy around the economic benefits and job creating opportunities that attend enactment of common-sense, energy efficiency policies. We look forward to working together with you, our Associates, over the coming months to ensure that members of Congress embrace energy efficiency as a first and cost-effective solution to many of our national imperatives.

Happy Energy Awareness Month!

Best,

Kateri Callahan