December 07, 2020
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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Twenty-seven environmental, consumer, business organizations and state energy officials sent a November 23rd letter to President-Elect Biden addressing energy efficiency in commercial buildings.
The organizations include:
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Advanced Energy Economy
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National Association of State Energy Officials
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Alliance to Save Energy
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National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients
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American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
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North American Insulation Manufacturers Association
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American Institute of Architects
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Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
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Building Performance Association
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NRDC
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California Efficiency + Demand Management Council
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Sierra Club
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Ceres
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Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
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Consumer Federation of America
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South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource
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DesignLights Consortium
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Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
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E4TheFuture
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Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
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Energy Efficiency Alliance
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Union of Concerned Scientists
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Environmental and Energy Study Institute
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U.S. Green Building Council
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Institute for Market Transformation
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VEIC
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Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
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In support of the need to address the issue the organizations state that energy use in residences and commercial buildings are responsible for:
- A third of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions
- More than $400 billion in annual energy costs
They argue that at least six federal agencies have existing authority to reduce energy waste from homes and buildings by mandating energy efficiency.
The organizations ask that President-Elect Biden prioritize the following actions utilizing existing law to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions through building energy efficiency”:
- Revive appliance efficiency standards (Department of Energy)
- Ensure new federally assisted housing is efficient (Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Federal Housing Finance Agency)
- Set a strong energy efficiency standard for manufactured homes (Department of Energy and Housing Urban Development)
- Issue an executive order on federal buildings (White House)
- Strengthen agency work to drive energy efficiency (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency)
A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.
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