“Congress continues its march toward enactment of the first comprehensive energy legislation in almost a decade with today’s overwhelming 84-3 Senate vote to name conferees and move to conference with the House. With the announced agreement to set aside provisions that have garnered a veto threat from the White House, I am optimistic that any final version of the bill emerging from Congress will have as a centerpiece the impactful and important energy efficiency provisions in Title 1 of the Senate version of the bill. These provisions, based on legislation originally introduced by the Alliance’s Honorary Chair Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and First Vice Chair Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), represent the bipartisan ‘sweet spot’ from which meaningful energy policy can be crafted that will benefit our nation’s economy, businesses, families and environment.

 

“Reconciling the differences between the two competing bills will require work across party lines and across chambers. While I do not expect resolution to be easy, I do believe that focusing first on those pieces – like the energy efficiency provisions – that have strong bipartisan support and broad public appeal will help the conferees to move together, not apart, as they seek to serve the American people.

 

“The Alliance’s optimism about the outcome of the negotiations stems in no small measure from the makeup of the conferees, which include Alliance Honorary Board members Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Reps. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), all of whom are avowed champions of energy efficiency.”