Representatives Casten and Doyle Introduce Legislation to Make US Industry the Cleanest in the World
Representatives Casten and Doyle Introduce Legislation to Make US Industry the Cleanest in the World
Washington, DC – September 29, 2022 – Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Mike Doyle (D-PA-18) introduced the Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act today to establish federal financial incentives for U.S. industrial facilities to adopt clean, efficient technology.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I have consistently advocated for and introduced legislation to lower carbon emissions in every sector of our economy,” said Representative Casten. “Not only will this bill reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector and maximize the energy efficiency of industrial facilities in the United States, but it will also make these facilities more financially viable and lower their energy costs. This bill is a win for our economy and for our planet, and puts the United States on track to have the cleanest industrial sector in the world.”
“Climate change is compelling us to rapidly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, while other environmental concerns are pressing us to make our economy more sustainable,” Congressman Doyle said in introducing the Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act. “It’s unrealistic to expect industrial facilities to make expensive changes when market forces don’t reflect the environmental costs of failing to do so. Moreover, it’s in our nation’s long-term interest to not only make our industries more sustainable, but to be global leaders in new sustainable technology. That’s the best way to grow our economy and create good-paying jobs. Consequently, it’s essential that the federal government address this market failure with policies like those in the Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act. I’m pleased to be working with my friend and colleague Sean Casten to enact this legislation.”
All too often, short-term financial considerations discourage long-term investments that would benefit not only the company concerned but the entire country. In addition, private companies often don’t know about technological developments that would improve their facilities’ efficiency. Consequently, they often forego making improvements to their facilities that would reduce pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – even though those improvements would also save them money over the long run through lower energy costs.
The Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act would help address the knowledge gap many companies face and provide rebates to encourage them to become more efficient. The Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act would establish an accessible clearinghouse where companies could find technologies that they could incorporate into their facilities to improve their efficiency and reduce waste – and it would provide businesses with rebates for part of the cost of purchasing and installing that new equipment.
The rebates would be available for technologies that significantly increase a facility’s energy efficiency, reduce its water usage or greenhouse gas emissions, or replace fossil fuel technologies. The rebates would increase significantly if the technology used is American-made – to spur more domestic production of new, more efficient industrial technologies.
Finally, the bill would require the Department of Energy to work with the largest 3,000 GHG-emitting facilities in the country to help them become more efficient and reduce their GHG emissions. At a time of high energy prices, this would also increase American industrial competitiveness internationally.
American industry can lead us to a cleaner energy future, but it needs support to make the necessary technology upgrades. Too many companies are working with tight margins and cannot afford to make major capital improvements. By bridging that financing gap, the Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act could ensure American manufacturing is a leader in adopting cleaner, more efficient industrial processes.
“Industry accounts for more than 25 percent of U.S. energy use and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Steve Nadel, Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “Reducing this energy use through cost-effective energy management techniques will improve competitiveness and maintain good-paying jobs in our critical manufacturing sector. The Industrial Efficiency Incentive Act introduced by Representatives Doyle and Casten will provide rebates for industrial facilities that purchase emissions-reducing technology and revive a proven DOE program conducting assessments and providing technical assistance to the largest industrial energy-using plants to save energy and reduce emissions. This bill can provide a key boost to help many of the largest industrial facilities work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Contact:
Jacob Vurpillat (Casten): : 630-512-1306
Matt Dinkel (Doyle): 202-557-1285
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