AGA welcomes the passing of S. 2012
Published by Callum O'Reilly,
Senior Editor
LNG Industry,
The American Gas Association (AGA) has released a statement praising the US Senate for passing the Energy Policy Modernization Act (S. 2012). The Act contains several provisions that would benefit natural gas customers throughout the US, including a provision to increase energy efficiency in federal buildings. The Act also brings greater regulatory certainty to the country’s LNG industry, as it requires that the US Department of Energy (DOE) issues a permitting decision within 45 days of an LNG export project’s completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review.
AGA President and CEO, Dave McCurdy, said: “The bipartisan energy legislation passed by the Senate contains provisions that promote strategic use of our nation’s natural resources […] Natural gas utilities have been supportive of this legislation through its many stages and worked with the energy efficiency community and other allies to strengthen the bill along the way. We applaud Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Cantwell for their tireless efforts to guide this bill and appreciate the efforts of leaders such as Senators Hoeven and Manchin that have championed improving how our nation uses energy for the past several years.”
Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 included a ban on fossil fuel-generated energy use and direct use in new and renovated federal buildings by 2030. In the years since, the US DOE has yet to issue a final rule implementing this requirement due to complexities of interpreting the law. The bill passed today by the Senate contains language authored by Senators Hoeven and Manchin that replaces the fossil fuel ban from Section 433 with efficiency measures supported by a coalition of industry groups and environmental advocates with the intent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting energy efficiency and reducing the cost of energy in federal buildings.
Now energy leaders from the House and Senate must reconcile the bill with the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 (H.R. 8), which passed the House on 3 December 2015.
Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly
Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquefaction/21042016/aga-welcomes-the-passing-of-s-2012-2329/
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