BCSE president calls for clean energy prioritization

In a letter to Members of Congress on Tuesday, Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) President Lisa Jacobson expressed support for clean energy provisions that are slated for negotiation during an upcoming House-Senate energy bill conference.

“BCSE is encouraged by congressional action to move forward with a House-Senate conference on S.2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act, and we look forward to working with Congress in the coming weeks to finalize legislation before the end of the year with meaningful provisions for clean energy,” Jacobson said. “As the House and Senate iron out the different versions of their bills we encourage Congress to build upon the bipartisan provisions that have been negotiated over the past months and years.”

Jacobson’s letter urged Congress to focus on the modernization and efficiency of the electric grid, including provisions for the streamlining of approval processes for clean energy projects, energy efficiency provisions and provisions for a federal smart buildings program, while developing a tax policy framework to support necessary technologies.

”In order to maintain a diverse portfolio of beneficial clean energy technologies the Council encourages Congress to consider a tax title to the energy bill to address the needs of the clean energy tax technologies that were left out of the 2015 end of year tax and spending bills and to formulate and enact the stable, long-term tax policy framework that will support the deployment and use of clean energy technologies in a meaningful way,” Jacobson said.