Bipartisan Committee Approves Federal Bill to Change Building Codes Jul 15, 2011

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A strong 18-3 bipartisan vote by the Senate Energy Committee to advance the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, S. 1000 was lauded by The Alliance to Save Energy, which called on the full Senate to quickly enact the energy-efficiency package.

S. 1000 is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the honorary chair of the Alliance to Save Energy Board of Directors, and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who cooperatively developed the bill to make it acceptable by Republicans and Democrat, in both the House and the Senate.

The law would strengthen building energy codes, provide energy efficiency financing options for manufacturers, and require the federal government to improve its energy management.

The bill addresses three major areas of U.S. energy use:
• Residential and commercial buildings, which consume 40% of all energy used in the country.
• The industrial sector, which consumes more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy.
• The federal government, which is the nation’s single largest energy consumer.

The Alliance described the bill as relatively modest in cost, authorizing $1.07 billion over several years, in funds intended to be offset fully. The Alliance said the law will have a significant impact in reducing the country’s energy use and saving consumers and businesses money.

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