Udall, Markey Introduce Amendment to Senate Energy-Efficiency Bill

Press Release

Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who serves on the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, introduced an amendment today aimed at strengthening the energy-efficiency proposal currently before the U.S. Senate. The Udall-Markey amendment would empower consumers and spur innovation in energy efficiency by making available information on electricity prices and consumption in households and businesses.

"In order for our nation to be truly energy self-reliant we must empower consumers to make better use of the energy we already produce," Udall said. "Helping families and small businesses have access to information about their energy use is the first step toward using energy more efficiently. This common-sense, deficit-neutral proposal would boost energy efficiency and allow homes and businesses to better understand the true impact of their energy use on their pocket books."

"From cars to cereal, consumers make better decisions when they have access to information," Markey said. "The amendment we're introducing today is a win for consumers and a win for the innovators developing the apps, web platforms, and appliances that are building the smart grid and empowering consumers."

The Udall-Markey amendment would incentivize states and utilities to adopt policies that ensure consumers have timely access to electricity usage information. This proposal builds on and broadens the efforts that some states and utilities have already taken to make electricity usage information available to consumers.

The amendment requires the Department of Energy to expand access to the State Energy Program to new state-led efforts at making consumer energy information more easily available. It also requires the Department to issue model standards for electricity usage information programs and to assist eligible states in implementing such programs.

The amendment is supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, EnerNOC, Efficiency First and the Information Technology Industry Council.

Udall introduced a similar proposal in 2011 with Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.)

Udall also introduced two other amendments this week to the energy-efficiency bill being considered by the Senate. Udall's amendments, which have bipartisan support, are based on Colorado's successes in making schools more energy efficiency and Udall's bill to cut federal energy costs.

Udall's amendments, based on stand-alone, bipartisan bills he has championed along with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), would:

Encourage schools to become more energy efficient and reduce costs by streamlining federal programs throughout the executive branch; and,
Force the federal government to reduce energy consumption at federal data centers.
Udall has been a strong proponent of improving energy efficiency as part of the United States' pursuit of energy independence. As part of his ongoing statewide energy tour he has visited Adolfson & Peterson's solar thermal unit in Aurora and discussed how an innovative geothermal greenhouse in Pagosa Springs can use renewable energy to reduce costs for Colorado businesses, among many other sites across the state.

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