By Rose Law Group Reporter
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., today announced that their bipartisan, bicameral Energy Act of 2020 has been included as Division Z of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, must-pass legislation that will be considered in the House and Senate starting today.
The Energy Act features consensus provisions from the Senate’s American Energy Innovation Act (S. 2657) and the House’s Clean Economy Innovation and Jobs Act (H.R. 4447). It stands to become the first comprehensive modernization of our nation’s energy policies in 13 years.
Murkowski and Manchin, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, spent months negotiating with Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J.-6, and Ranking Member Greg Walden, R-Ore.-2, of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as with Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas-30, and Ranking Member Frank Lucas, R-Okla.-3, of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to reach ‘six-corner’ agreement on the final package.
“The Energy Act represents the first modernization of our nation’s energy policies in well over a decade. This bipartisan package will foster innovation across the board on a range of technologies that are critical to our energy and national security, our long-term economic competitiveness, and the protection of our environment,” Chairman Murkowski said. “This has been a years-long effort that would not have been possible without great partners on both our committee and the committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives. I’m also grateful to Leader McConnell and Senator Schumer for recognizing the importance of our work and agreeing to include it in this year-end legislation.”
“This all-of-the-above energy package is the first comprehensive national energy policy update in 13 years. The Energy Act of 2020 provides a down payment on the technologies that will be critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector, industry, and buildings and addressing climate change. This focus on research, development, and demonstration will create high quality jobs and ensure the United States continues to lead the world in the clean energy future. The Energy Act also reauthorizes popular and effective programs like ARPA-E and the Weatherization Assistance Program and creates new programs to facilitate the transferal of technologies to the private sector. This legislation is the culmination of strong bipartisan work throughout the 116th Congress in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the result of collaboration with our House colleagues leading the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Science, Space, and Technology. This energy package is an important reminder that when we work in a bipartisan way, the American people come out on top,” said Ranking Member Manchin.
