WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama praised a House committee Thursday for approving legislation meant to boost home energy conservation and help create jobs.
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 -- which would cost $6 billion with the intention of creating 168,000 jobs while saving energy -- cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a 30-17 vote. Two Republicans -- Wayne Whitfield of Kentucky and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania -- crossed over to vote with 28 Democrats.
"Today's bipartisan committee vote is an important step forward in our effort to create jobs, save consumers money and increase energy efficiency," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. "In my State of the Union address and in the months since, I have called on Congress to pass a program of incentives to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient. The Home Star legislation approved today would do just that -- providing consumers with up-front rebates on investments in things like insulation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and windows that have been proven to save energy."
The president, a Democrat, said it is neither a Democratic or Republican idea but "a common sense strategy to help put Americans back to work while giving American consumers a break."
He thanked lawmakers in the Senate working on similar legislation and expressed hope a bill would land on his desk before long.
