Press Releases

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) today voted to pass a clean energy legislative package in the U.S. House of Representatives that includes his Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act (H.R. 762) to help schools cut costs and improve energy efficiency in their facilities. The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act is a comprehensive measure that would provide funding for renewable energy and grid modernization programs.

“I’m proud to pass my bill to help schools cut energy costs, allowing them to allocate more resources to essential educational priorities,” Cartwright said. “This package also includes much needed funding for rural communities to train workers for good-paying clean energy jobs, and ensures that new energy infrastructure would be built with American-made products. This package is a meaningful step toward a more sustainable energy future and prosperous economy.”

The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act includes text from Cartwright’s Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act, which makes it easier for schools to get access to federal funds to improve and modernize their energy infrastructure – one of the largest parts of schools’ operating budgets, second only to personnel. Establishing a central clearinghouse for energy upgrade-related information allows schools to save valuable time and money.

In addition, the package passed by the House today would help provide clean, reliable energy to marginalized communities, including $25 million for energy storage and microgrids in rural communities and $1 billion for solar installations in low-income communities. It authorizes funds for local communities including $500 million for workforce training and $5 billion in rebates for home retrofits.

Among other provisions, this legislation:

• Boosts funding for popular and proven energy efficiency programs, by providing nearly $1.7 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program and $17.5 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program
• Creates a clean energy workforce development program, which will educate and train the next generation of clean energy researchers, scientists and professionals with an emphasis on underrepresented and rural communities
• Supports businesses and local communities, by providing $70 million for grants to eligible businesses to fund energy-related training and $20 million for financial and technical assistance to state and local programs for workforce training
• Protects American manufacturing companies, by committing to only use American-made goods for projects funded by the Act, including iron, steel, and manufactured items
• Establishes new programs to advance technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector, including $500 million in grants for demonstration projects
• Authorizes a $1.25 billion grant program to prevent methane leaks from the natural gas distribution system and to offset rate increases for low-income communities

The text of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, H.R. 4447, is here.