Key Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Provisions Signed into Law in Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) issued the following statements after key provisions from their bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act were signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Shaheen and Portman were lead negotiators of the bipartisan infrastructure package that was signed into law earlier today.
“I’m thrilled that as part of the historic infrastructure deal I helped negotiate, key provisions from my energy efficiency bills with Senator Portman are now law. For years, Senator Portman and I have pushed for Congress to pass this bill and take action on the climate crisis, and I’m so pleased our bipartisan work will make a real difference,” said Shaheen. “Time is of the essence as we face climate change, and our bill takes critical action by reducing emissions and boosting the resilience of buildings. I’m pleased President Biden signed these once-in-a-generation investments into law – ensuring both our infrastructure and our workforce are poised to lead in the 21st century while safeguarding our environment.”
“Now that the President has signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, I am pleased that my common-sense measures with Senator Shaheen to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions across the economy can finally go into effect,” said Senator Portman. “We need a balanced approach to protecting our environment and reducing emissions, while also safeguarding our economy and jobs – these measures accomplish just that.”
The ESIC Act will improve energy efficiency in three key sectors – buildings, industrial and the federal government. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), residential and commercial buildings accounted for about 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2018. In addition, reports from the U.S. Department of Energy have found that the federal government is the largest single energy consumer in the country. By improving energy efficiency in these three key sectors, 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.
Provisions from the ESIC Act include:
- $150 million from FY 2022-2026 to fund centers that identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency at manufacturing and industrial facilities;
- A $45 million annual grant program from FY 2022-2026 to implement cost-effective building codes for efficiency and resilience;
- A $10 million grant program for FY 2022 at higher education institutions to establish building training and assessment centers to implement modern building technologies;
- A $10 million 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 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to commercial energy consumption data.
In addition to ESIC, the bipartisan infrastructure package also includes the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act, legislation introduced by Shaheen and Portman that will help manufacturers improve energy efficiency, create jobs and secure a more competitive position in the marketplace. By 2040, an estimate from ACEEE determined the legislation would save consumers $5 billion in energy costs and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 116 million cars off the road. The bipartisan infrastructure package also included Shaheen and Portman’s Promoting American Energy Jobs Act as well as Shaheen’s Heat Efficiency through Applied Technology (HEAT) Act . Together, these bills will promote innovation, energy efficiency and economic competitiveness of American manufacturers and support the energy workforce. Shaheen added these provisions when the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to advance the Energy Infrastructure Act in July.
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