Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. STANTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act.

To better position ourselves for the 21st century economy, we need to invest in energy-efficient infrastructure that is both sustainable and makes good business sense. This bill does that by incorporating my legislation to reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program to provide grants to States, local governments, and our Native American Tribes to reduce fossil fuel emissions and conserve energy.

When this program was last funded, local governments were able to pursue a large range of projects, from energy retrofits to deployment of LED street lighting and solar energy systems to electric vehicle charging stations and alternative fuel pumps.

A national evaluation of the program's effectiveness found that with just 1 year of funding, 25.7 million metric tons of carbon equivalent was avoided. And $5.2 billion in cumulative energy bill savings were produced, 70 percent of which were realized by residential customers.

Just imagine what we can achieve with the dedicated, multiyear funding this bill provides. It will create jobs, help consumers save on their energy bills, open new opportunities for local governments to invest in energy conservation, and reduce carbon pollution.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for his leadership on this legislation.

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