ACEEE urging Senate to reject amendment that would hurt energy efficiency standards
Several groups are calling on the U.S. Senate to oppose an amendment that would block the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from implementing the updated minimum energy efficiency standards for new housing financed by HUD programs.
The amendment in question, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), is Amendment #1237 to H.R. 4366, the minibus appropriations bill.
In a letter to Senate leaders, the three groups – the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), and the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) – said the amendment would undermine efforts to lower utility bills for low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters.
To that point, HUD estimates its proposal would save an average of almost $15,000 in energy bills for a single-family home, and more than $5,000 in energy bills on average for apartments and condos.
“This amendment would lock in energy waste in new homes for decades to come and force families to pay needlessly higher utility bills,” Mark Kresowik, senior policy director, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, said. “People with low incomes already spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy bills, and this amendment would exacerbate the problem. After nearly a decade of delay, the federal government is finally updating energy efficiency standards as required by a bipartisan energy law enacted in 2007. The Senate should not stand in the way of energy affordability for American families and should instead reject this misguided amendment.”
ACEEE, NCLC, and HAC have been on the forefront of the fight to update energy codes to lower costs for Americans. Last week, the groups joined over 30 organizations in a letter opposing the Rubio amendment. Further, on July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Rubio serves, voted 29-0 to approve HUD’s FY2024 appropriations bill with a provision urging HUD to “expeditiously issue a final determination regarding the adoption of updated minimum energy efficiency standards, as required under 42 U.S.C. 12709.”
