Energy-Efficiency Policy in an Obama Administration
Washington, DC, 05.11.2008 - written by: REEEP North American Secretariat
President-Elect Obama has pledged to build a new, clean-energy economy, making a sustainable energy future for America a key priority upon taking office in January.
The “New Energy for America” plan correctly cites energy efficiency as the “cheapest, cleanest, fastest energy source” and calls for new energy efficiency policies and substantial federal investment in energy efficiency to help reduce U.S. oil dependence, create new jobs, and curb climate change.
President-Elect Obama supports an economy-wide cap-and-trade program, which will spur energy savings as a central path to addressing global warming. He sees the opportunity to create green jobs, including through energy efficiency, as a way to improve the nation’s energy security, while bolstering both the economy and the environment. And he recognizes the instrumental role to be played by strong energy efficiency policies, including appliance and fuel economy standards, building energy codes, and utility energy-efficiency programs.
The Alliance to Save Energy, which operates as REEEP's North American Regional Secretariat, today urged President-Elect Barack Obama to fulfil his campaign promise:
“The Obama-Biden ‘New Energy for America’ plan contains many exciting, creative, and urgently needed energy-efficiency actions,” noted Alliance President Kateri Callahan.
The Obama-Biden energy platform includes these features:
- Implement an economy-wide carbon cap-and-trade program, using a portion of the receipts for energy efficiency;
- Reduce electricity demand 15 percent by 2020 to save consumers $130 billion, cut CO2 emissions by more than 5 billion tons through 2030, and create new jobs;
- Set a goal of making all new buildings carbon-neutral by 2030;
- Overhaul federal appliance efficiency standards and improve building codes;
- Promote improvements in vehicle efficiency through fuel economy standards and support for plug-in hybrid vehicles;
- Reduce federal energy consumption;
- Reform utility profit incentives to ensure a level playing field for energy efficiency;
- Invest in a “smart” electricity grid;
- Weatherize more than one million homes annually; and
- Build more livable, sustainable communities that rely less on driving and more on public transit.
The Alliance also will ask the new administration and the Congress to use energy efficiency as a cornerstone of any economic stimulus package that may emerge next year. A targeted program to deploy energy efficiency will create clean-energy jobs, protect the environment, and enhance U.S. energy security. The Alliance’s economic stimulus proposal includes increased funding for programs to reduce energy bills in low-income homes, funding to make required energy efficiency upgrades in schools and other public buildings, funding for a major consumer energy efficiency information campaign, and dedicating transportation infrastructure funding to public transit and “complete” streets that serve bikes, pedestrians, and buses, as well as cars.