Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 151.
Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011 - Title I: Buildings - Subtitle A: Building Energy Codes - (Sec. 101) Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA) to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) support the development and updating of national model building energy codes for residential and commercial buildings; (2) encourage and support the adoption by states, Indian tribes, and local governments of building energy codes that meet or exceed the national codes; and (3) support full compliance with state and local codes.
Requires the Secretary to work with states, Indian tribes, local governments, and nationally recognized code and standards developers to support the updating of such codes by establishing aggregate energy savings targets. Authorizes the Secretary to establish separate targets for commercial and residential buildings. Establishes as the baseline for updating such codes the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2010 for commercial buildings.
Requires targets for specific years to be established and revised by the Secretary and coordinated with nationally recognized code and standards developers at a level that: (1) is at the maximum level of energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and life-cycle cost effective, while accounting for economic considerations; (2) is higher than the preceding target; and (3) promotes the achievement of high-performance buildings through high performance energy efficiency.
Requires the Secretary to establish initial targets within a year. Requires the Secretary to develop and adjust such targets in recognition of potential savings and costs relating to: (1) efficiency gains made in appliances, lighting, windows, insulation, and building envelope sealing; (2) advancement of distributed generation and on-site renewable power generation technologies; (3) equipment improvements for heating, cooling, and ventilation systems; (4) building management systems and SmartGrid technologies to reduce energy use; and (5) other technologies, practices, and building systems that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding building plug load and other energy uses. Requires the Secretary to consider the economic feasibility of achieving such targets and the potential costs and savings for consumers and building owners.
The summary continues for 32 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on September 6, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 6, 2011: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 151.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced it on May 16, 2011, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 16, 2011, 5596 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5483 days ago, on September 6, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers