[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 224 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 224
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize
the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of
clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by
accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and
businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States
electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing
electricity generation in the United States by 2035.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 18, 2021
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Booker, Mr. Padilla, Mr.
Merkley, Mr. Markey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr.
Bennet, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Lujan,
and Mr. King) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize
the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of
clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by
accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and
businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States
electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing
electricity generation in the United States by 2035.
Whereas the United States enjoys an abundance of clean energy resources, world-
class research facilities, cutting-edge industrial capabilities, and an
unrivaled culture of entrepreneurship and technological innovation;
Whereas, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, technology exists to
power the majority of energy systems in the United States with zero-
emission electricity;
Whereas achieving widespread electrification--
(1) will reduce the overall energy needs of the United States economy
by up to 50 percent; and
(2) can substantially decrease overall consumer energy costs while
maintaining the same or better lifestyles for individuals and families in
the United States;
Whereas national and subnational economies around the world, including in the
United States, are engaged in a fundamental transition away from energy
systems based on fossil fuels to zero-emission energy systems;
Whereas the United States has the opportunity to become a clean energy
superpower, and in the process has the opportunity--
(1) to become a net exporter of bulk zero-emission electricity and of
products made with zero-emission electricity;
(2) to capture new and expanding power and technology markets;
(3) to benefit from the ongoing global transition away from fossil fuel
energy towards widespread electrification using zero-emission electricity;
and
(4) to become an international leader in the production and adoption of
zero-emission vehicles;
Whereas climate change caused by human activities, especially by greenhouse gas
emissions from fossil fuel combustion, represents a serious, present,
and growing threat--
(1) to human health, security, and economic well-being; and
(2) to the environment;
Whereas low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately
impacted by the harmful effects of climate change and air pollution,
including being at a higher risk of experiencing--
(1) severe floods, droughts, and wildfires;
(2) economic dislocation; and
(3) significant health problems, including pneumonia, asthma,
bronchitis, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer;
Whereas transitioning the energy systems of the United States to zero-emission
electricity would--
(1) drastically reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in the United
States;
(2) improve air and water quality throughout the United States; and
(3) improve numerous health conditions associated with the burning of
fossil fuels for millions of individuals in the United States;
Whereas the work required to electrify the economy of the United States would
produce millions of high-paying, sustainable jobs that would--
(1) be created throughout the United States, including in urban, rural,
suburban, and Tribal communities; and
(2) require directly translatable skills from individuals who, as of
the date of adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in--
G (A) the fossil fuel industry;
G (B) the construction and building industry;
G (C) the electricity industry, including residential and commercial
electricians; and
G (D) the automotive industry;
Whereas the average household in the United States spends, as of the date of
adoption of this resolution, approximately $4,500 per year on energy,
including $2,000 per year on vehicle fuel;
Whereas, with supportive policy, households in the United States can save up to
half of their annual energy costs by electrifying their household energy
systems, including through--
(1) the installation of--
G (A) rooftop or distributed photovoltaic solar and home battery
systems;
G (B) electric heat pumps and electric heat pump water heaters; and
G (C) electric household appliances; and
(2) the purchase of electric vehicles;
Whereas many low- and moderate-income families in the United States lack access
to credit and financing options that would enable those families to
install money-saving electrified household energy systems;
Whereas reaping the benefits of electrification could be made more accessible
and cost-effective for individuals in the United States, so that the
access and costs compare more favorably with other countries, by--
(1) reducing the up-front capital outlays typically required; and
(2) decreasing the cost of local permitting and regulations for rooftop
solar and other distributed renewable energy generation in the United
States;
Whereas investments in energy efficiency programs can--
(1) reduce the size and cost of electric heating systems;
(2) help increase systemic resiliency to periods of extreme
temperature; and
(3) in addition to other investments in infrastructure, help improve
the ability of the electric power grid to serve peak electric demand;
Whereas utility-scale wind and solar installations are among the lowest-cost
sources of electricity available in the United States;
Whereas additional interregional high-voltage direct-current electricity
transmission capacity--
(1) is critical to the development of new clean energy generation; and
(2) can help ensure reliable and consistent electricity supply; and
Whereas supporting rapid electrification and innovation in all sectors of the
United States economy while transitioning to zero-emission electricity
production using proven generation technologies is one of the fastest,
most efficient ways to reduce United States greenhouse gas emissions,
reduce the average energy bills of people of the United States, and
create millions of good-paying jobs to put individuals in the United
States back to work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Now, therefore
be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the United States must seize the opportunity to create
millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and
secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the
electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the
United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid,
and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity
generation in the United States by 2035;
(2) the goals described in paragraph (1) are consistent
with, and should be achieved through, efforts that prioritize
the objectives of--
(A) creating millions of good-paying jobs, with
collective bargaining agreements, and advancing a
thriving, equitable economy with an expanded middle
class;
(B) maintaining the global leadership of the United
States in innovation;
(C) ensuring that not less than 40 percent of the
benefits of Federal investments in electrification
efforts flow to historically marginalized communities
and individuals disproportionately affected by the
health and environmental impacts of fossil fuels;
(D) rehiring through place-based policies,
retraining, and certifying, for electrification and
clean energy jobs, individuals that, as of the date of
adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in the fossil
fuel industry (referred to in this resolution as
``energy veterans'');
(E) advancing strong labor and safety standards
throughout the supply chain by using certain Federal
provisions, including--
(i) chapter 83 of title 41, United States
Code (commonly known as the ``Buy American
Act''); and
(ii) subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A
of subtitle II of title 40, United States Code
(commonly known as the ``Davis-Bacon Act'');
(F) decreasing the harmful health and environmental
impacts of climate change, which fall
disproportionately on low-income people and communities
of color in the United States;
(G) ensuring access to low-cost, reliable
electricity for individuals, families, and businesses,
while recognizing and addressing the infrastructural
challenges in rural and Tribal communities;
(H) modernizing the electric power grid of the
United States and its operations to increase the
security, resilience, reliability, fairness, and
flexibility of the electric power grid;
(I) transforming existing industries in the United
States into 21st century industries that use and
produce clean energy; and
(J) enhancing the national security of the United
States, including the cybersecurity of the electric
power grid; and
(3) to succeed, the goals described in paragraph (1) and
the objectives described in paragraph (2) should be
accomplished through efforts that--
(A) electrify the activities of high-emissions
sectors, such as the residential and commercial
construction, transportation, and industrial sectors,
including by--
(i) supporting and incentivizing the
residential and commercial deployment of
electric technologies, including battery
storage systems, electric heat pumps, electric
induction stoves, electric vehicle chargers,
and electric water heaters;
(ii) supporting the expansion of
residential, commercial, and public electric
vehicle charging infrastructure, including in
rural areas and low- and moderate-income
communities;
(iii) supporting the widespread
electrification of public transportation
systems, including the expansion of public
transportation systems in rural and suburban
communities; and
(iv) investing in research, development,
demonstration, and deployment programs for
electrification of key industrial processes;
(B) increase the deployment of zero-emission
electricity resources, including by--
(i) expanding investment in zero-emission
electricity generation;
(ii) lowering the permitting and hardware
costs, and streamlining the process, of
installing distributed energy systems;
(iii) improving the permitting and leasing
processes for zero-emission electricity
generation facilities on public land and
offshore waters within the jurisdiction of the
United States; and
(iv) ending subsidies for fossil fuel
development on both public and private land;
(C) invest in energy efficiency programs paired
with electrification measures, including household
weatherization and high efficiency electric heating and
cooling systems;
(D) expand interregional transmission capacity and
planning to promote widespread and reliable zero-
emission electrification;
(E) adopt and expand the use of technologies and
processes that will make the electric power grid more
resilient, reliable, and efficient;
(F) improve commercial, infrastructural, and
manufacturing capacity for zero-emission
electrification, including by--
(i) identifying and encouraging best
practices for organizing electrification
markets across communities and streamlining
local regulations and permitting requirements;
(ii) upgrading home-load centers to support
the power supply necessary for widespread
household electrification;
(iii) setting national standards for
electrification projects that align
electrification markets across jurisdictions,
while still allowing for private sector
innovation and technological advances; and
(iv) expanding and electrifying
manufacturing facilities so that the United
States can produce and export products made
with clean energy;
(G) increase the available financing for zero-
emission electrification supporting technologies at all
scales, from utility-scale power stations and
transmission lines to individual homes and businesses,
including by--
(i) providing seed funding for a clean
energy and sustainability accelerator that will
leverage public and private investment in zero-
emission electricity across the United States;
(ii) adopting policies to increase
available financing for distributed zero-
emission electricity generation, especially by
low- and moderate-income households and
individuals historically denied access to
credit;
(iii) increasing financial incentives at
the Federal, State, and local levels for
domestic manufacturing of electric appliances,
vehicles, technologies, and systems; and
(iv) creating accessible financing
mechanisms to make electrification projects
affordable for all households, including for
both homeowners and renters, across rural,
urban, suburban, and Tribal communities across
the United States;
(H) expand access to, and increase the quality of,
higher education, vocational training, and
certification programs for workers contributing to the
goals described in paragraph (1) and the objectives
described in paragraph (2) with an emphasis on--
(i) ensuring and encouraging access to
those programs for--
(I) low-income individuals; and
(II) people of color;
(ii) eliminating gender-based and race-
based pay gaps;
(iii) protecting the right of workers to
organize and bargain collectively; and
(iv) rehiring through place-based policies
and retraining of energy veterans;
(I) facilitate the modernization of Federal, State,
and local building, electric, and other codes to
encourage the adoption of low-cost zero-emission
electricity resources, including through grant and
technical assistance programs;
(J) invest in achieving full access to zero-
emission electricity for rural and Tribal communities
through a combination of new transmission and
distribution, and new generation, such as through
distributed solar and microgrids;
(K) pursue a Federal Government-wide approach to
zero-emission electrification;
(L) increase understanding of the health impacts of
indoor and outdoor air pollution created by fossil fuel
appliances and electricity generation, especially on
the most vulnerable members of society;
(M) invest in research, development, and
demonstration on the efficient use, recycling, and
waste management of materials used in clean energy
technologies, including the sustainable sourcing and
recycling of critical minerals used in the
technologies; and
(N) increase research, development, and
demonstration funding for the next generation of
cutting-edge zero-emission electricity resources,
deployment techniques, and grid modernization
technologies.
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