In advance of pending federal energy legislation, a group of nearly 60 businesses and advocates banded together to write a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid to call for the inclusion of a strong federal Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) in any legislation that moves forward.  The cosigners included some big names who are calling on Congress to pass a strong EERS, including:  Ben & Jerry's, Best Buy, eBay, Gap, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Starbucks, Symantec, and The North Face. Special thanks and praise goes out to a couple of our own Minnesotan companies who also signed on to the letter: Target Corporation and Best Buy. Many thanks to Minnesota companies who are leaders on clean energy and efficiency! Fresh Energy was among the clean energy and efficiency advocates also signing on to the letter calling for Congressional action on an EERS.

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Congress is currently deciding what energy legislation will be debated this year - and we need to make sure that a strong, federal renewable energy standard (RES) isn't left on the cutting room floor. An RES is an easy, straightforward way to increase the percentage of renewable energy we get our electricity from while creating thousands of jobs. Take a minute to sign the American Wind Energy Association's petition asking Congress to pass a strong RES this year!!

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The Center for Energy and Environment will be hosting an exciting webinar tomorrow looking at innovative residential programs that save loads of energy and money. Some friends from across the pond, Yorkshire Energy Services, will be giving a free webinar about a groundbreaking program that currently benefits 84 percent of residents - the program is so awesome it has even been touted by Prince Charles!

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An analysis recently released by McKinsey and Company called "The U.S. Low Carbon Economics Tool" provides in-depth macroeconomic modeling of different scenarios of possible energy and climate policies. With the recent release of the American Power Act, an analysis of this type is invaluable for better understanding the implications of different policy measures as well as the economic impact of inaction. With this tool we can better understand the changes to jobs, gross domestic product (GDP), energy prices, taxes, energy demand, and industry cost structure in relation to different policies.

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Today's release of climate and energy legislation by Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), the American Power Act, is an important step in the right direction for putting our country on a path to a clean energy economy.

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Today, a bipartisan group of U.S. representatives passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5019) by a vote of 246 to 161. This bill authorizes a grant program of $6 billion dollars to American homeowners to make energy efficiency upgrades to their homes.

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On April 15, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed Home Star legislation, which will provide direct point-of-sale rebates to homeowners for energy efficiency upgrades. President Obama cheered the bipartisan committee passage of the bill in a press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2010

STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT ON HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF "HOME STAR" LEGISLATION

"Today's bipartisan Committee vote is an important step forward in our effort to create jobs, save consumers money, and increase energy efficiency. In my State of the Union Address and in the months since, I have called on Congress to pass a program of incentives to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient. The Home Star legislation approved today would do just that - providing consumers with up-front rebates on investments in things like insulation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and windows that have been proven to save energy. This proposal is not a Democratic or Republican idea: it's a common sense strategy to help put Americans back to work while giving American consumers a break. I want to thank the members of Congress from both parties that have worked to support this legislation, as well as their colleagues in the Senate who are working to promote Home Star legislation. I look forward to working with Congress to get this bill to my desk without delay."

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During a press conference today, Representatives Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) and Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) introduced the House version of the Home Star program, which is already under consideration in the Senate (S.3177, The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010). The Home Star program, which would provide immediate rebates up to $3,000 to consumers for energy efficiency upgrades to their homes has be gaining broad-based support from legislators and has a coalition of over 1,000 companies and organizations supporting it - including Fresh Energy. The legislation is slated for a committee mark-up tomorrow in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Take a second to tell your legislators that you want them to pass Home Star.

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Last time I saw it, it was nothing but a bare field with a few stubby corn stalks sticking up here and there - remains of the fall crop. But when I drove to the St. John's campus recently, I found that the same  barren field on the edge of campus is now covered with thousands of solar panels, gleaming in the sunlight and cranking out 575 megawatt hours of electricity annually (about the equivalent of fully powering 65 homes year round). This farm is the upper Midwest's largest solar photovoltaic farm - by four times!

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According to a new report card issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area slipped from the 8th most energy-efficient city in the country to the 11th in 2009.  The report identified the top 25 cities with the most Energy Star labeled buildings. Even at #11, Minnesota's efficiency savings are expected to save us $36.4 million dollars - just imagine the cash we'd save if we moved up in the rankings. Next year's goal: back in the top 10 and more cash in Minnesotans' pockets!

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