Manchin Introduces Energy Efficiency Legislation
Bipartisan Legislation Will Save Energy, Protect the Environment, Save Working Families Money, Create Jobs
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC), commonsense legislation that moves America toward a national energy efficiency strategy. The legislation saves consumers money, creates jobs and reduces pollution. It has received widespread support from Democrats and Republicans as well as industry leaders, energy efficiency advocates and environmental stakeholders.
“It is past time our nation develops a reasonable and realistic clean energy policy that utilizes all our domestic resources to produce affordable and reliable power,” Senator Manchin said. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that would create nearly 200,000 jobs and keep hard-earned dollars in consumers’ pockets, while also reducing carbon emissions. The bill strikes that important balance between promoting economic growth and addressing environmental concerns, and is a huge step toward generating cleaner and more efficient American energy through commercially-available technologies. I hope members of Congress from both sides of the aisle swiftly vote this commonsense bill into law.”
Components of the bill that were signed into law in April 2015 are already creating jobs, reducing emissions and helping individuals and companies use less energy, but more needs to be done. The bipartisan reforms included in this bill will create nearly 200,000 new jobs and help the economy by saving consumers $16.2 billion annually in reduced energy costs by 2030. ESIC has received broad bipartisan support and passed the Senate last year by a vote of 85-12. It has also been endorsed by a wide range of advocacy groups including the National Association of Manufacturers, the Alliance to Save Energy, industry leaders, and environmental stakeholders because it creates jobs, saves consumers money, and reduces emissions. Original cosponsors of the bill include Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
NOTE: A 2014 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that this legislation 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. The bill 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 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. The bill will help the United States transition to a more energy-efficient economy while driving economic growth and private sector job creation.
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