Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:
We are writing to urge you to place legislation addressing energy and climate technology and innovation on the House’s fall legislative calendar.
Our diverse organizations recognize and agree that climate change is an important national priority that demands Congressional attention. While we may not agree on everything, we believe there is much common ground upon which all sides of the debate can come together to begin to address climate change, promote American technological leadership, and foster continued economic growth. There is a growing consensus that the development and commercialization of new technologies are an important factor that will determine how quickly and at what cost greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
A bipartisan group of representatives, led by House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, has worked to identify and advance practical legislative solutions to accelerate these breakthroughs and enable adoption of lower-emitting and more efficient technologies.
Thanks to this leadership, a number of important bills with broad support are ready for floor consideration. Accordingly, we urge you to allocate floor time for these important legislative priorities, which could include the following bills:[1]
- H.R. 2986, the “Better Energy Storage Technology Act,” which would facilitate the research, development, and demonstration of next-generation grid-scale energy storage systems.
- H.R. 3306 and H.R. 6097, the “Nuclear Energy Leadership Act” and “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act,” respectively, which would expand nuclear research, development, demonstration, and commercialization efforts at the Department of Energy.
- H.R. 3597, the “Solar Energy Research and Development Act,” which would accelerate the next generation of solar energy technologies by expanding DOE efforts to improve the capacity, efficiency, manufacturing, reliability, and affordability of solar energy.
- H.R. 3607, the “Fossil Energy Research and Development Act,” which would reauthorize and expand fossil energy related R&D and establish an innovative new "Climate Solutions Challenges" prize competition at DOE.
- H.R. 3609, the “Wind Energy Research and Development Act,” which would extend and expand the wind energy technology, research, development and testing program at DOE.
- H.R. 6084, the “Water Power Research and Development Act,” which would provide a program at DOE for the research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of water power technologies.
- H.R. 4091, the “ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019,” which would extend and expand ARPA-E support for transformative energy technologies.
- H.R. 4230, the “Clean Industrial Technology Act,” which would establish an emissions-reduction technology program to reduce industrial sector greenhouse gas emissions.
- H.R. 5374, the Advanced Geothermal Innovation Leadership Act, which would support R&D in advanced geothermal energy resources.
- H.R. 5428, the “Grid Modernization Research and Development Act,” which would authorize a broad range of R&D activities to enhance the resilience and readiness of the electric grid for a low-carbon future.
While not an exhaustive list, we believe these bills would constitute a strong legislative foundation upon which to address some very critical technology challenges. We stand with every American seeking a cleaner environment and stronger economy, and we know that by working together we can forge solutions that deliver on our responsibility to leave the world a better place for generations to come.
More will need to be done to meet the climate challenge. But, the House now has a great opportunity to advance these goals, and we stand ready to work with you to ensure prompt passage of important climate and energy innovation legislation.
Sincerely,
Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition
American Chemistry Council
American Conservation Coalition
American Council for Capital Formation
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
American Council of Engineering Companies
American Gas Association
American Public Power Association
American Wind Energy Association
BPC Action
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Carbon180
Carbon Capture Coalition
Carbon Utilization Research Council
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions
Clean Air Task Force
ClearPath Action
ConservAmerica
Copper Development Association
Council on Competitiveness
Edison Electric Institute
Energy Storage Association
Gas Turbine Association
Geothermal Resources Council
Great Plains Institute
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
National Association of Energy Service Companies
National Association of Manufacturers
National Hydropower Association
National Ocean Industries Association
Nuclear Energy Institute
Portland Cement Association
The Aluminum Institute
The Nature Conservancy
Third Way
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Nuclear Industry Council
[1] NOTE: While not every signatory organization supports every one of these bills, taken together they represent a significant opportunity to accelerate innovation in the energy sector.
