Legislators applauded the Senate’s passage on Wednesday of the first bill designed to modernize the nation’s energy policies in nearly a decade.
The Energy Policy Modernization Act, S. 2012, addresses energy efficiency, modernization of the electrical grid, steps to ensure adequate energy supply, reforms to advance innovation and electric reliability, and conservation reauthorization needed for the stewardship of public lands.
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who successfully included an easement disclosure amendment in the bill, said that the Energy Policy Modernization Act would increase energy security while keeping energy costs low.
“Additionally, I’m pleased the bill includes my amendment to make sure landowners are aware of all the options available to them when choosing to place their land in a conservation easement,” Rounds said. “South Dakota’s landowners deserve to know that perpetual conservation easements aren’t their only option. My amendment will increase awareness for shorter, termed easements and result in greater access and conservation of land.”
The Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, introduced by Rounds, to transfer 200 acres from the Bureau of Land Management to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery was also included in the bill.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) highlighted the importance of a provision of the bill that would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and would expand energy production in Montana at Daines’ request.
“Today, we took steps to secure our Montana heritage and made-in-Montana jobs. We stood up for the Montana way of life,” Daines said. “Today, we passed a bill that for the first time would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important piece of legislation ensuring that Montanan’s have access to public lands.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) has championed permanent authorization of LWCF since 2011, fighting for an extension when the program’s authorization expired in September.
“In North Carolina, famous sites like Catawba Falls and Chimney Rock, as well as many local parks and recreational areas, exist today as a result of the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” Burr said. “I’m proud of the important work this fund does to protect our natural heritage, and I look forward to the future conservation efforts that the LWCF will fund for generations to come.”
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), meanwhile, applauded passage of a bipartisan amendment that he led to save taxpayer dollars and to preserve oil reserves at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
“This amendment allows the Secretary of Energy the ability to sell Strategic Petroleum Reserve quantities of crude oil when the price goes up,” Cassidy said. “America is blessed with an abundance of oil. Taxpayers invested in this emergency oil stockpile. If some must be sold, it should be sold at the highest price possible to get the best deal for taxpayers.”
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) authored a number of the bill’s key provisions, including sections that would encourage the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Savings Contracts in federal buildings, reauthorize an energy efficiency retrofit program, expedite export approvals for liquefied natural gas, and require agencies to implement changes outlined in energy saving audits.
“The Energy Policy Modernization Act is a much-needed bipartisan overhaul of our nation’s energy policy and I am proud I was able to secure many provisions that will benefit Colorado,” Gardner said. “This legislation will increase energy efficiency, modernize our electrical grid, and create more jobs in the energy sector. Throughout my career in public service, I have advocated for an all-of-the-above energy strategy and that includes promoting energy efficiency and bringing down costs, and I am pleased I could advance these priorities and shape federal energy policy as a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.”
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) included an amendment that would set clear federal policies for the use of clean, renewable biomass energy solutions.
“Biomass energy is sustainable, responsible, renewable and economically significant as an energy source and many states, including Maine, are already relying on biomass to meet their renewable energy goals,” Collins said. “While the carbon neutrality of biomass harvested from sustainably managed forests has been recognized repeatedly by numerous studies, agencies, institutions and rules around the world, current policy uncertainty could end up jeopardizing rather than encouraging investments in working forests, harvesting operations, bioenergy, wood products, and paper manufacturing. Our tri-partisan provision would help ensure that federal policies for the use of clean, renewable energy solutions are clear, simple and consistently inclusive of renewable biomass energy.”
The bill also included an amendment authored by Burr and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to preserve the diversity and viability of the Corolla wild horse. It would allow the Corolla Wild Horse Fund to manage the herd at no cost to taxpayers.
“I’m pleased that the Senate unanimously approved our amendment to help save North Carolina’s Corolla Wild Horses,” Tillis said. “Many people who have vacationed in North Carolina remember the days when these majestic horses could be sighted on our beautiful beaches, and our amendment will play an important part in ensuring future generations of Americans have their own opportunity to see the Corolla Wild Horses.”