Gita Subramony for Zondits, March 27, 2015 After much delay caused by partisan bickering, the Shaheen-Portman Act was passed by the Senate. The bill, which promotes energy efficiency and emissions reductions, was generally supported by both sides of the aisle early on, but fell victim to political infighting in 2014. Finally, after being re-introduced earlier … Read more
Indiana Proposal on Energy Efficiency Puts Utilities in the Driver’s Seat Gita Subramony for Zondits, January 28, 2015 Last year, Indiana’s legislature voted to halt energy efficiency programs in the state. Governor Mike Pence vowed to revisit the issue in the 2015 legislative session, and as promised, state officials are discussing the future of energy … Read more
Senate panel passes energy-efficiency utility bill Businessweek, January 22, 2015 Major utility companies would be able to develop their own energy-efficiency programs and charge customers to implement them under a bill that cleared a state Senate committee Thursday, but the panel’s chairman said the bill still needs a lot of work. The Senate Utilities Committee … Read more
Senate votes that climate change is real The Hill, January 21, 2015 The Senate on Wednesday voted that “climate change is real and is not a hoax” as Democrats used the Keystone XL pipeline debate to force votes on the politically charged issue ahead of the 2016 elections. The “hoax” amendment to the pipeline bill … Read more
The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014 has hit a roadblock in the US Senate this week, as retiring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) blocked a motion to expedite passage of the federal energy legislation. Among its provisions, the bill sought to create new metrics for measuring energy use in federal data centers – and enforce new energy efficiency standards.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said on Wednesday that there is a “good chance” the new GOP majority will bring forward his energy efficiency bill as early as January. The efficiency bill, co-sponsored by Portman and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), came to the floor twice in the past year but failed both times due to stalemates between the two parti