On the recordSeptember 11, 2013
Mr. President, I would still like to talk about this amendment. And I want to thank both Senator Wyden for working with us on this amendment and also Senator Murkowski for working with us on this amendment. I appreciate their support. This is an amendment Senator Hoeven and I have submitted together. I will describe it to you because I think it is such a good amendment. We want to make sure we get moving on this very important bill that I support, as well as these amendments. The Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act would provide assistance to nonprofit organizations to help make the buildings they own and operate more energy efficient. Nonprofit organizations are the heart of our country and serve millions of Americans every day. Nonprofits include hospitals, schools, houses of worship--particularly supportive of this amendment--and youth centers. They face the choice of making facility improvements or serving more people, which is also difficult for them. That choice is clear for so many organizations. Nonprofits often operate in older, less efficient buildings, and because of their nonprofit status, they cannot participate in energy efficiency programs despite the financial benefits of energy efficiency retrofits and other improvements. This amendment is about allowing the Department of Energy to make grants of up to $200,000 for energy efficiency projects over the next 5 years.…





