“To study and accelerate the more productive use of energy resources within the United States, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section sets forth the purpose of the Act to improve U.S. energy performance, transparency, and decision-making by modernizing the measurement and accounting of energy productivity and related impacts.
This section establishes requirements for energy productivity assessments by the Department of Energy. Specifically, it directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Task Force, to publish within 18 months of enactment a national baseline assessment that (1) defines a framework and methodology for measuring energy productivity (i.e., energy inputs relative to economic or societal value) at national, regional, and sectoral levels; (2) evaluates current performance; (3) identifies barriers; and (4) highlights improvement opportunities. It further requires the Energy Information Administration Administrator, starting upon baseline publication and quarterly thereafter, to issue the “Energy Productivity Indicators Quarterly” or “Energy Productivity-IQ” report measuring energy productivity using economic output measures aligned with Bureau of Labor Statistics labor productivity estimates. Finally, it requires the Secretary to produce, within 18 months of enactment and every three years thereafter, a Comprehensive Energy Productivity and Competitiveness Assessment quantifying impacts of productivity improvements (relative to business-as-usual), analyzing policy pathways, evaluating well-being effects (e.g., pollution and cost reductions), assessing competitiveness and risks, and considering lifecycle factors (e.g., water use, health outcomes, emissions).
This section directs the Secretary of Energy to establish, not later than 180 days after enactment, the Energy Productivity Task Force—an advisory committee led by the Secretary—comprising (1) representatives from the Departments of Energy and Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Information Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Geological Survey, Department of Health and Human Services, and Office of Science and Technology Policy; and (2) independent technical experts and stakeholders from industry, academia, and public-interest organizations representing the electric power, renewable energy, nonrenewable energy, consumer advocacy, energy-intensive industries, environmental, National Academies, and relevant research sectors. The task force terminates three years after enactment (notwithstanding the two-year termination requirement of 5 U.S.C. §1013).
This section defines, for purposes of the Act, the term “energy productivity” as a measure of how efficiently an economy, region, or industry uses energy to generate economic value and the term “Task Force” as the Energy Productivity Task Force established under section 4.