The Alliance to Save Energy hailed new Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) legislation, introduced today by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), as effective federal policy that would reduce consumers' energy use and therefore costs; cut global warming pollution; and supplant the need for new power plants to meet rising energy demand.

The Save American Energy Act would cut electricity and natural gas demand and, in combination with another newly introduced Markey bill creating a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), create more than a half million jobs and save U.S. consumers more than $180 billion, according to Markey's office.

The Markey bill would require electric and gas utilities to reduce demand by 15 and 10 percent, respectively, by 2020. Utilities could count savings from helping their customers to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient, as well as from appliance standards, building codes, and other government programs. And while utilities would be responsible for meeting the energy efficiency requirements, they would be allowed to buy savings from states and other third parties that could be used to demonstrate compliance.

"A national Energy Efficiency Resource Standard is a critical building block not only for U.S. energy policy but also for U.S. environmental and security policy," said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. "The Markey proposal deploys energy efficiency as the quickest, cheapest, cleanest means for meeting our growing demand, boosting our flagging economy, and protecting our environment and national security."

"An EERS is a flexible, market-based approach that unleashes the potential for energy efficiency to be our most cost-effective and readily available energy resource," noted Alliance Director of Policy Lowell Ungar. "This approach is supported by an 18-member coalition comprised of the Alliance, additional energy efficiency and environmental organizations, trade associations, businesses, and others," he added.

(Coalition members: Alliance to Save Energy, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Dow Chemical, Environment America, Environment and Energy Study Institute, Environment Law and Policy Center, Environment Northeast, Federal Performance Contracting Coalition, National Grid, National Association of State Energy Officials, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Real Estate Roundtable, Recycled Energy Development, Sierra Club, U.S. Clean Heat and Power Association, and Whirlpool.)

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.

SOURCE Alliance to Save Energy

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