The United States Senate has voted to pass an energy efficiency measure that would help state and local governments implement effective building codes to allow them become more efficient — to use less energy, or about 25 percent less over the next 10 years.
“The energy bill passed by the Senate moves the ball forward on energy efficiency, toward consumer energy bill savings, more jobs, and cleaner air,” says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. “It will help many middle-income families finance energy improvements in their homes and earn the benefits of energy savings. And it will foster innovation in smart buildings and smart manufacturing to make American companies more competitive.
The group gives credit to Senators Murkowski, Cantwell, Portman, Shaheen, and others. The energy efficiency provisions are part of a broader energy bill and one that would try to increase the use of green energies as well as expedite the export of liquefied natural gas. The House is working on its own energy bill, which has provisions in it to increase the use of fossil fuels — things that run against the Obama administration’s positions. The two bills would need to be reconciled before the president would sign it.