Political Quotes

“today I rise with my colleagues Senator Feinstein and Senator Schatz to introduce the Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives Act. Encouraging energy efficiency improvements is a smart and cost- effective way to reduce pollution, increase the competitiveness of our employers, and to create jobs in both our construction and manufacturing sectors. As I have discussed previously on the floor of the Senate, our energy problem in this country can be primarily attributed to a waste problem. Recently, the Department of Energy calculated that we waste 57 percent of all energy produced. Our goal in introducing this bill is to prevent that waste by providing focused incentives that encourage significant improvements in energy efficiency and truly innovative energy efficiency technologies. While my colleagues will explain how the bill does this for our homes and the industrial sector, I would like to focus on how our bill improves energy efficiency outcomes for commercial and multifamily buildings. About 40 percent of energy consumption in the United States comes from our buildings, and up to 80 percent of the buildings standing today will still be here in 2050. Encouraging efficiency in new construction, and making these existing buildings more efficient, would generate billions of dollars in energy savings, spur job creation, and reduce carbon emissions.…”