This morning, 120 members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act, a bill with a suite of policies to lower Americans’ energy costs by modernizing our electricity system, promoting low-cost clean energy, and helping people invest in their homes and businesses.
American families have watched their energy bills climb an average of 13% over the past year alone, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Energy efficiency and renewable energy like solar are the least expensive forms of new energy available today, yet current government policies are preventing Americans from bringing home much of the potential cost savings. The Energy Bills Relief Act would help Americans tap the immense potential of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a more modern electric grid to lower bills and protect the environment.
The Energy Bills Relief Act would enact policies to help energy bills be more affordable, in particular by:
- Reinstating the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for clean energy and clean vehicles
- Directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) to reinstate previously-awarded clean energy funding that has been withheld by the Trump administration (for example, the Solar for All program)
- Promoting parity in federal permitting for clean energy projects that now face ideology-based regulatory roadblocks compared to oil, gas, and coal
- Promoting home weatherization through the Weatherization Assistance Program
- Reauthorizing the Rural Energy Savings Program to provide financing for affordable energy efficiency improvements through rural utility companies
- Promoting community solar programs
- Promoting efficient planning and expansion of the electric transmission system
- Codifying processes for responsible offshore wind energy development
- Establishing consumer protections
- Creating policies that encourage public participation and community involvement in energy decision-making
American families are increasingly struggling to pay energy bills while the severity of the climate crisis grows. Unlocking the potential of clean energy and a modern power grid can help solve both of these crises together.
SACE would like to thank the members of Congress from the Southeast who have already signed up as cosponsors of the bill to help residents and businesses lower their energy bills:
- Kathy Castor (FL-14)
- Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20)
- Jim Clyburn (SC-06)
- Steve Cohen (TN-09)
- Valerie Foushee (NC-04)
- Maxwell Frost (FL-10)
- Hank Johnson (GA-04)
- Deborah Ross (NC-02)
- David Scott (GA-13)
- Frederica Wilson (FL-24)
