OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 12, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Infrastructure Energy

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Madam President, I have an amendment that will help anyone in America who has had to rebuild after a natural disaster and I truly hope we can break this impasse and it can soon be considered.

My amendment would remove burdens and streamline the process that recipients of disaster aid face when upgrading to more energy-efficient technology.

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, we saw all too well that old technology can fail all too easily. Yet because of administrative burdens, recipients of much needed emergency funds will replace appliances and infrastructure with the same antiquated counterparts that were damaged. In many cases this means replacing a 10-year-old hot water heater with another 10-year-old unit or replacing a 20-year-old electric transformer with similarly antiquated systems without any regard for modern safety and efficiency standards.

At a minimum we should provide the option of allowing these homeowners, businesses, and utilities the ability to use emergency disaster funding to upgrade to more energy-efficient appliances, machinery or electrical infrastructure.

Not only will the use of energy-efficient technology save money, it will reduce pollution, it will create jobs, and it will help ensure that our infrastructure is more resilient to the increase in extreme weather events we have seen facing this country.

My amendment allows emergency funding recipients to voluntarily upgrade damaged equipment and structures with energy-efficient technology.

It is a budget-neutral alternative to current law. It does not direct FEMA to spend at higher levels. Remember, every $1 spent in upgrading to more energy-efficient technology provides upward of $5 in savings.

We should be streamlining the process and removing the roadblocks individuals and businesses face when choosing to replace items destroyed in natural disasters with more energy-efficient technology.

Thank you. I do hope we can consider this amendment soon.

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