Alliance Response to 2012 State of the Union: Energy Efficiency Paves Way to ‘Economy that’s Built to Last’
The Alliance to Save Energy News
Alliance Response to 2012 State of the Union: Energy Efficiency Paves Way to ‘Economy that’s Built to Last’
Statement by Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan
The truest comment by President Barack Obama? One supported by study after study: The easiest way to save money is to waste less energy.
The president’s vision for "an economy built to last" makes energy efficiency a cornerstone. In his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, 2012, Obama asked Congress to send him a bill that incorporates energy efficiency and creates jobs. Congress already has one in the pipeline.
The bipartisan Shaheen-Portman bill – S. 1000, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act – was reported by the Senate Energy Committee on an overwhelmingly bipartisan 18-3 vote. This bill would increase energy efficiency across our economy by strengthening building energy codes, providing financing options for manufacturers and requiring the federal government to improve its energy management. We urge Congress to pass it.
Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to solve our energy challenges. Throughout the president’s speech – whether it was education, transportation or manufacturing – energy efficiency was the common solution that bridges partisan divides, even in an election year.
The Alliance’s founding fathers – Sens. Chuck Percy, a Republican, and Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat – got it right: Energy efficiency is America’s greatest energy resource, and the more we can use it to power our economy, the better off our people will be.
Media Contacts
Note to media: Callahan and other Alliance spokespeople are available for comment.
- Ronnie Kweller: 202-530-2203; 202-276-9327; rkweller@ase.org
- Monique O' Grady: 202-530-2217; mogrady@ase.org
STAY EMPOWERED
Help the Alliance advocate for policies to use energy more efficiently – supporting job creation, reduced emissions, and lower costs. Contact your member of Congress.
Energy efficiency is smart, nonpartisan, and practical. So are we. Our strength comes from an unparalleled group of Alliance Associates working collaboratively under the Alliance umbrella to pave the way for energy efficiency gains.
The power of efficiency is in your hands. Supporting the Alliance means supporting a vision for using energy more productively to achieve economic growth, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security, affordability, and reliability.