Shaheen, Portman Announce Energy Efficiency Bill Included in Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) announced that their bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act has been included as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the end result of the bipartisan infrastructure negotiations the Senators have helped to lead over the past three months.
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, the ACEEE analysis shows that this legislation will reduce emissions, protect the environment, and create jobs.
“I appreciate the bipartisan determination in the Senate to address energy efficiency, and that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes meaningful progress toward that goal with key provisions of my bill with Senator Portman serving as a focal point,” said Senator Shaheen. “This historic infrastructure legislation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rehabilitate our electric grid, transportation and infrastructure networks with an eye toward building a more sustainable future. I’m glad that key provisions of our energy efficiency legislation played an important role in that effort and will continue to work across the aisle to push it forward.”
“I’m pleased that the this bipartisan energy efficiency bill was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as part of common-sense measures that will increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions across the economy,” said Senator Portman. “We need a balanced approach to protecting our environment and reducing emissions, while also safeguarding our economy and jobs – our bipartisan efficiency legislation will accomplish just that.”
Provisions include:
- $120 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 EPA related to commercial energy consumption data.
