Portman announces Senate will consider his energy efficiency bill

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has announced that the Senate will consider his Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC) next week.

ESIC has received widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans as well as industry leaders, energy-efficiency advocates and environmental stakeholders because it reduces pollution, saves consumers money and creates jobs. Portman introduced this legislation with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). 
 

“This bill has garnered such widespread support because of a simple fact – it is good for the economy and good for the environment. It’s part of an energy plan for America that can help bring jobs back, make our manufacturers more competitive, and actually help to protect the environment,” Portman said. “And at the same time, it encourages the implementation of energy efficient techniques that could save taxpayers billions of dollars. I’m hopeful that we can pass our energy plan this year.”
 
ESIC will be considered as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act. Last year, key components of ESIC were signed into law.
 
ESIC uses a variety of low-cost tools to help energy users become more efficient while making the country’s largest energy user – the federal government – reduce its energy use through the use of energy-efficient technology. The deficit-neutral bill incentivizes the use of efficiency technologies that are commercially available today, can be widely deployed across the country, and quickly pay for themselves through energy savings.
 
A 2014 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that Portman-Shaheen will create more than 190,000 jobs, save consumers $16.2 billion a year, and cut CO2 emissions and other air pollutants by the equivalent of taking 22 million cars off the road – all by 2030.