|
Mansfield
News Journal
Portman pushes bill to cut
pollution, energy costs
By Deirdre Shesgreen
Jul. 26, 2013
WASHINGTON
— The Senate is poised
to debate a major energy bill next week crafted by Sen. Rob Portman,
which
proponents say would cut pollution, slash electricity bills and save
money for
consumers and companies alike.
The
legislation, which Portman,
R-Ohio, authored with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., would create new
incentives
to spur greater use of energy-saving tools and technologies in office
buildings, manufacturing plants and personal residences.
The
measure enjoys strong
bipartisan support, but some fear it could be derailed by a bevy of
contentious
amendments on everything from approving the Keystone XL pipeline to
curbing the
powers of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Ohio
will benefit directly” from
the legislation, Portman said, because it aims to reduce energy
consumption by
manufacturers and other industrial businesses that dominate the Buckeye
State’s
economy.
More
than 200 outside interest
groups — from the Chamber of Commerce to the Natural Resources Defense
Council
— back the proposal.
The
American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy estimated an earlier version of the
Portman-Shaheen
bill would save consumers $20 billion, create 159,000 new jobs and
avert 108
million metric tons of carbon pollution through 2030.
The
Portman-Shaheen proposal would:
•
Strengthen model building codes
to make new homes and commercial buildings more energy-efficient and
require
the Department of Energy to provide funding and other assistance to
help states
meet energy-savings targets;
•
Create a new energy efficiency
financing initiative that provides grants to states to promote private
sector
investment in energy-saving upgrades and renovations;
•
Encourage businesses to create
more efficient supply chains that conserve energy, water and other
resources...
Read
the rest of the article at the
Mansfield News Journal
|
