Letter on the "Home Star Act of 2010"

The Honorable Jeff Bingaman
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Lisa Murkowski
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member Murkowski:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, supports the discussion draft of "Home Star Act of 2010." Although there is room for improvement in certain areas, the Home Star Act discussion draft provides a solid framework for a worthwhile, incentive-based program that will create American jobs while saving energy.

The vast majority of windows, doors, and insulation retrofit projects in America are manufactured in the United States. Since 2006, this industry has been decimated, with more than 650,000 jobs lost. The incentives provided by the Home Star Act will create good, living-wage jobs for American workers, while providing homeowners the ability to make a substantial dent in their overall energy costs.

The Chamber urges the following changes to the Home Star Act, which will strengthen the bill and facilitate even greater job creation and energy savings:

• Include limited do-it-yourself (DIY) rebates for insulation and Tier III energy efficient appliances to ensure consumer demand is sufficient and products are affordable;
• Tie product specifications for windows, doors, and skylights to the recently introduced 2010 Energy Star guidelines, a recognizable brand to American consumers; and,
• Ensure that the program include recognition of qualified training and certification by the Home Builders Institute (HBI), an existing certification program run in conjunction with the Department of Labor that provides substantial training for weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades in existing homes.

The Chamber looks forward to working with the Committee on this important legislation.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten

Cc: The Members of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources