Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers who applauded the Obama Administration’s decision to extend the federal buildings energy efficiency initiative on Wednesday.
The Obama Administration announced that federal agencies will be directed to collaborate with the Energy Department’s Federal Energy Management Program early next year to continue the energy efficiency imitative through 2016.
“Americans are tired of a Congress that has a seemingly endless inability to work together,” Gardner said. “A growing bipartisan group of members of Congress have come together to achieve a simple goal: save taxpayer money and reduce the amount of energy the federal government uses. I am glad the Obama Administration had made the decision to extend this commonsense initiative.”
President Obama launched the two-year initiative in 2011 in an effort to realize $2 billion in energy savings at federal facilities.
Obama’s executive order stipulated that Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Services Contracts would be used. ESPC and UESC contracts allow federal agencies to negotiate contracts for energy-saving projects in which a company or utility specifies the amount of energy savings that can be achieved with a given project and is paid based on performance.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) joined Gardner in applauding the administration’s announcement to extend the program.