Letter of Support for Shaheen-Portman Bill
May 11, 2011
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen The Honorable Rob Portman
520 Hart Senate Office Building B40D Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Shaheen and Senator Portman,
We the undersigned represent a broad-based coalition of energy efficiency and environmental organizations, small and large businesses, public interest organizations and faith organizations.
We commend your work on the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011, which was introduced on May 12, 2011. Your bill will help to deploy energy efficiency across all sectors of our economy; save consumers and businesses money, help make us more competitive globally and reduce our dependence on imported sources of energy at a critical time. We look forward to working with you in the coming months to see that this important legislation is enacted into law.
We specifically commend those provisions in your bill that will help to drive job creation. For example, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act will include a state partnership manufacturing revolving loan fund to finance investments in manufacturing process equipment though the issuance of federal bonds. With this fund, domestic manufacturers can fine-tune their equipment, reduce utility related overheads, and strengthen their bottom-line.
Your legislation would also advance targets for national model building energy codes. Buildings currently consume 40% of all energy used in the United States. The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act would support regular updates to the existing national model building codes. Building codes help investors overcome the market barriers that impede energy savings in this sector, and reduce energy costs for businesses.
Similarly, appliance standards provisions contained within the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act will cut home energy costs to consumers by $43 billion through 2030.(1) Existing federal appliance standards have saved taxpayers more than $300 billion in energy bills and reduced national energy use by 3.6% annually. This provision is identical to S. 398, which was recently reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with a bipartisan 18-4 vote.
The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act also contains a provision based on the Rural Star legislation which was passed by the House of Representatives last year. This program would create a loan program through rural public utilities and electric cooperatives to finance energy efficiency improvements for rural utility customers. Sponsors of the original bill estimate that it will create 20,000 to 40,000 jobs to conduct and implement these energy improvements.
Another important bill from last session, Supply Star, is also included in the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act. This bill was reported favorably by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Supply Star would promote energy efficiency improvements throughout the supply chain, including savings from product sourcing, development, distribution, use and disposal. This bill would provide crucial support to small businesses in reducing unnecessary energy expenditures.
As the nation's largest energy consumer, it is critically important that the federal government lead by example. The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act contains several provisions which will improve the energy efficiency of federal agencies. Rather than squandering taxpayer’s dollars on needless energy costs, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act implements practical, cost effective measures to tackle federal energy consumption. These provisions include personal computer power saving techniques, advanced metering, building upgrades and more.
By fully deploying the power of energy efficiency, we can help create new jobs, save energy, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. Energy efficiency takes effect faster than other policies designed to address our energy needs. Well designed programs such as those contained in the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act will help those American families and businesses who are struggling today to lower their energy costs. Moreover, energy efficiency policies offer Americans protection from rising energy costs caused by political instability abroad, and moves us towards energy independence. We again commend your leadership in developing this comprehensive package, and offer our support in helping to advance this important bill toward enactment by the 112th Congress.
Sincerely,
Acuity Brands Alliance for Industrial Efficiency Alliance to Save Energy American Chemistry Council American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy American Institute of Architects Anvil Knitwear Aspen Skiing Company Association of Pool & Spa Professionals Association of State Energy Research and- Technology Transfer Institutions AT&T Best Buy Boulder Green Building Guild Business Council for Sustainable Energy Business for Innovative Climate and Energy- Policy Capital E Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) CLC Associates Clif Bar Clean Air-Cool Planet Clean Water Action Climate Solutions Conservation Law Foundation Conservation Services Group Consumers Union Copper Development Association Council of North American Insulation Manufactures Danfoss Digital Energy Solutions Campaign Direct Energy Dow Chemical Company DwellTek Home Energy Solutions Earth Day Network Earthjustice Eastern Mountain Sports eBay Inc. EDA Architecture Eileen Fisher ENE (Environment Northeast) Energy Future Coalition Energy Platforms EnLink GeoEnergy Environment America Environmental and Energy Study Institute Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Law and Policy Center Federal Performance Contracting Coalition FlexEnergy Fresh Energy Friends Committee on National Legislation Green Building Initiative Green Strategies, Inc. Guardian Industries Corp Honeywell Ingersoll Rand Institute for Sustainable Communities Intel Interfaith Power and Light International Copper Association Johns Manville Johnson Controls League of Women Voters Knauf Insulation League of Conservation Voters Legrand Levi Strauss and Co. Masco Corporation National Association for State Community Services Programs National Association of Energy Service Companies National Association of State Energy Officials National Electrical Manufacturers Association National Wildlife Federation Natural Resources Defense Council Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Northwest Energy Efficiency Council NW Energy Coalition Ohio Business Council for a Clean Economy Oregon Environmental Council Orion Energy Systems Outdoor Industry Association Owens Corning Panasonic Corporation of North America Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association Rebuilding Together Republicans for Environmental Protection Rinnai Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. Schneider Electric Siemens Corporation Sierra Club Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Stonyfield Farm Symantec TE Connectivity The Stella Group, Ltd. U.S. Clean Heat & Power Association U.S. Conference of Mayors Union for Reform Judaism Union of Concerned Scientists United Technologies Corporation Utah Clean Energy Watkins Manufacturing Whirlpool Corporation World Wildlife Fund
