Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013

Floor Speech

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, S. 1392. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this legislation, which would build on previous energy efficiency legislation and proposes cost-effective mechanisms to support the adoption of off-the-shelf efficiency technologies for buildings, manufacturers, and the federal government.

As honorary Vice-Chair of the Alliance to Save Energy, I have been a long-time proponent of efforts to improve energy efficiency. Encouraging the adoption of energy efficiency measures is one of the easiest yet most effective mechanisms for reducing energy consumption, lessening pollution, and ultimately saving families, businesses, and the federal government money.

Legislation to improve our Nation's energy policy is long-overdue. I would like to congratulate the bill sponsors, Senators Shaheen and Portman, for crafting this bipartisan, commonsense bill and for their efforts in working with the leadership of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Murkowski, to bring this bill to the Senate floor. The provisions in S. 1392 will kick-start the use of energy efficiency technologies that are commercially available now and can be deployed by residential, commercial, and industrial energy users. It will also improve the energy efficiency of the federal government, which is the largest user of energy in the country. Given the challenging fiscal environment, it is notable that all authorizations included in S. 1392 are fully offset.

Specifically, S. 1392 would strengthen voluntary building codes for new homes and commercial buildings, train workers in energy-efficient commercial building design and operation, help streamline manufacturing energy efficiency, create a pilot program for highly efficient supply chains, and require the federal government to adopt energy saving practices for computers.

I am also pleased to be the lead cosponsor of two amendments that complement the goals of S. 1392. First, I have joined my colleague, the Senator from Colorado, Mr. Udall, in sponsoring an amendment which would provide a streamlined, coordinating structure for schools to help them better navigate available federal energy efficiency programs and financing options. This would be particularly helpful for rural schools in states such as Maine and would help these institutions save money on their rising energy costs. Decisions about how best to meet the energy needs of their schools, however, would still appropriately be made by the states, school boards, and local officials.

The second amendment I am pleased to be cosponsoring along with my colleagues from Delaware, Senator Coons, and Rhode Island, Senator Reed, would reauthorize and extend the core Weatherization Assistance Program and State Energy Program activities at the Department of Energy through 2018, develop a competitive grant program for non-profits to carry out weatherization projects, and require minimum professional standards for weatherization contractors and workers. I am a long-time supporter of weatherization, which plays an important role in permanently reducing home energy costs for low-income families and seniors in all states, lessening our dependence on foreign oil, and training a skilled workforce. Weatherizing homes and reducing energy costs is particularly important for a State such as Maine, which has the oldest housing stock in the Nation and a high dependence on home heating oil.

Earlier this week, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE, released new analysis demonstrating that S. 1392 would save consumers and businesses over $65 billion on their energy bills by 2030 and would help support thousands of new jobs by cutting government and industrial energy waste and assisting homeowners in financing energy efficiency improvements.

S. 1392 has the support of a broad coalition of stakeholders, including energy efficiency, business, and environmental organizations, small and large businesses, utilities, and public interest groups. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of S. 1392 and urge its swift passage.

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