Energy-efficiency aficionados are heralding the Senate’s approval of a bill that includes measures they have been touting for years. On Sept. 22 — at 3 a.m. — the U.S. Senate unanimously approved H.R. 4850, the Enabling Energy Savings Innovations Act.
The legislation includes portions of S.1000, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, and S. 398, the Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act (INCAAA). Both bills have awaited Congressional action for several years, as S. 1000 was first proposed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, in May 2011; and S. 398 was introduced by Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in February 2011.