WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. government should lead by example when it comes to energy efficiency, said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.
The ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee made the comments during a hearing Monday on the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act. The bill was introduced recently by Domenici, Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and a bipartisan group of senators.
"In my view, the federal government should lead the way. The bill we've introduced requires the federal government to increase its use of renewable electricity and reduce its overall energy consumption in federal buildings, both new and old. We can't expect consumers to embrace energy efficient technology if their government does not do the same," Domenici said.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., expressed concern that the bill had been drafted too hastily. John Mizroch, principal deputy assistant secretary of energy, said the administration would most likely support portions of the bill, though he raised some issues.
"Most of the bill is consistent with the administration's energy policy objectives," Mizroch said, "but it also authorizes several new financial assistance programs, and while those programs might help boost energy efficiency in certain sectors, their potential benefits are unlikely to be sufficient to justify the budget costs."
Mizroch also said there are stipulations in the bill that raise concern because they may be duplicative of language in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The bill's provisions include new Energy Department efficiency standards for household appliances; aggressive goals for reducing gasoline usage in vehicles; $2.3 billion for research related to automotive batteries; $15 million for advanced lighting technology; and reauthorizing the Weatherization Assistance Program at $750 million.
