House Energy and Commerce Committee advances five energy bills to floor

A series of five bipartisan energy bills worked their way through the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, advancing to the full House of Representatives for further consideration.

“The five energy bills reported to the House of Representatives today will dramatically improve energy efficiency, promote clean energy and improve tribal communities’ access to affordable, reliable energy sources,” Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said. “These are good, bipartisan pieces of legislation that will help save consumers’ money on their energy bills at a time they need it most.”

These include the Timely Review of Infrastructure Act (H.R. 1426), the Energy Savings Through Public-Private Partnerships Act of 2019 (H.R. 3079), Reliable Investment in Vital Energy Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3361), Tribal Power Act (H.R. 5541) and Ceiling Fan Improvement Act of 2020 (H.R. 5758).

H.R. 1426 would amend the existing law to give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman greater authority to adjust personnel salaries without consideration of civil service laws if they can show other approaches to acquiring employees are inadequate. The Chairman would have to regularly report to Congress on hiring and compensation efforts.

H.R. 3079 would alter the National Conservation Policy Act to encourage performance contracting — a financing mechanism wherein energy efficiency upgrades are funded over time with savings from capital improvements — for federal facilities. Agencies could also use existing revenue streams to fund projects, allowing further development of renewable energy and resiliency projects.

H.R. 3361 would bring back the hydroelectric production incentives program and the hydroelectric efficiency improvement program through 2036, with annual allotments of $10 million. The former paid owners or operators of hydroelectric facilities added to existing dams or conduits. The latter offered those payments for making changes that resulted in improved efficiencies of three percent or more.

H.R. 5541 would aid Native American tribes, helping meet energy education, planning, and management needs through reauthorized programming. Grant funding would be extended to Alaskan Native Tribes, and the Department of Energy’s Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs would be able to reduce cost-share based on financial need. These programs would be reauthorized at $30 million annually through 2025.

“The Tribal Power Act builds on the discussion we had at last week’s full committee hearing on the urgent needs of our tribal communities, including Congress’ obligation to ensure they have reliable energy access.”

Finally, H.R. 5758 would amend existing policy with technical corrections for the energy conservation standard of large-diameter ceiling fans, adjusting those requirements for airflow and power consumption, specifically.