House Votes Massive Federal Investment in Energy Efficiency to Aid Nation’s Economic Recovery
The Alliance to Save Energy News
House Votes Massive Federal Investment in Energy Efficiency to Aid Nation’s Economic Recovery
Washington, D.C., January 28, 2009 – The Alliance to Save Energy today commended the House of Representative for voting to invest billions of federal dollars in increased energy efficiency to help revive the nations’ flagging economy.
“The House bill adopted today would make increased energy efficiency a hallmark of the nation’s economic recovery with the infusion of federal funds for efficiency initiatives throughout the economy – to consumers, to businesses, to state and local governments, and more,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “The proposed total investment in energy efficiency far outstrips any previous federal funding for such programs,” she added.
The $50 billion energy package – the recovery bill’s largest long-term investment – would, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, create more than 500,000 jobs; provide energy efficiency grants and loans to school districts, colleges, local governments, and some hospitals; help state and local officials tackle their energy challenges; and accelerate deployment of smart grid technology to make the electric grid more efficient and reliable. The bill would also fund energy efficiency research, development, demonstration, and deployment by universities, companies, and national laboratories.
The initiatives approved by the House include extending and enlarging consumer tax credits to help homeowners purchase new efficient furnaces, windows, doors, and insulation; instituting consumer rebates for purchases of new energy-efficient appliances; putting $7.5 billion towards efficiency upgrades of federal low-income and public housing; modernizing more than 75 percent of federal buildings to cut their energy costs, saving taxpayers $2 billion a year; and helping state and local governments invest in energy efficiency.
“By providing sufficient funding to maximize the potential of energy efficiency and clean energy programs, the House’s economic recovery bill will allow our nation to invest in building the green economy of the future, reduce carbon emissions, and help consumers and businesses lower their energy costs,” Callahan said.
The Alliance urged the Senate to follow the House’s lead by recommending robust economic recovery funding for energy efficiency programs.
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