Earlier this year, the administration wanted to close the EPAs Energy Star program, but where are things now?
The Energy Star program was established by law, so it can only be stopped by a congress. BOMA International, together with the real estate sector, manufacturers of devices and proponents of efficiency, an educational campaign for congress and administration with this message.
BOMA International sent a letter to the committees that supervise the authorization and financing of the program and emphasized the vital importance of the portfolio manager program for industry and nation. We have also signed coalition letters and made personal visits to Capitol Hill to ensure that our message is received. Boma President & Coo Mary Lue Peck and vice-president of Boma of advocacy and codes John Boling met Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), the chairman of the subcommittee of the credits that the EPA finances to deliver our message directly to support the program.
On July 22, the House Appropriations Committee approved the domestic and environmental issue account that includes financing for the EPA. The Energy Star program receives around $ 32 million from the EPA through programmatic financing, which means that it is not a line item costs.
During the Markup of the House, the chairman of the subcommittee introduced, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), an amendment approved by the voice voice to include the following language in the committee report that is accompanied by the legislative text:
- On page 59 of the report, before the section entitled “Compliance”, add the following new section:
- Clean Air – Trouw The supplied resources is at least $ 32,000,000 for the Energy Star program as described in section 131 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 USC 15941).
Two days later, the Senate approved its version of the bill, including $ 36 million for the program and the EPA order to share his plans within 30 days after the law signed in the law.
Chairman Simpson, who has written the amendment, will manage the account when it is for the entire House of Representatives in September, and again when the house account is combined with the version of the Senate, which gives us confidence that the program will receive financing next year. However, the congress will probably have to navigate through a closure of an unknown length, while the parties negotiate priorities.
When the government reopens, we expect it to negotiate a definitive expenditure agreement that includes financing for Energy Star. If the congress has not accepted the expenditure accounts and, instead, relies on a continuous resolution of the entire year (CR), the program is financed at the same level as last year. Because Energy Star received around $ 32 million last year, it would receive the same again. However, because the program does not have a specific line item in the budget and is financed instead from a larger account, things can still be at risk.
Write your representatives and senators to let them know how important the importance of the program is to help protect the Energy Star and to ensure that it will remain active in 2026. https://boma.quorum.us/campaign/supportEnergystarporfoliomanager/. Every written letter helps the message to strengthen the congress that the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program is important for commercial real estate and the nation.
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