Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013
Latest action. By Senator Wyden from Committee on Energy and Natural Resources filed written report. Report No. 113-37.
Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 - 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) encourage and support the adoption by states, Indian tribes, and local governments of building energy codes that meet or exceed the model building energy codes; and (2) support full compliance with state and local codes.
Defines "model building energy code" to mean a voluntary building energy code and standards developed and updated through a consensus process among interested persons, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or the code used by the Council of American Building Officials, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or other appropriate organizations.
Sets forth provisions concerning requirements for states and Indian tribes to certify whether: (1) they have updated their codes, (2) their codes meet or exceed the energy savings of the updated model building energy code or the energy saving targets established by this Act, and (3) they have achieved full compliance with building energy codes.
Requires the Secretary to report annually on: (1) the status of national model building energy codes, (2) the status of code adoption and compliance by states and Indian tribes, (3) implementation of such updated codes, and (4) improvements in energy savings over time as a result of such targets.
Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states and Indian tribes to implement requirements concerning updating such codes.
Directs the Secretary to provide incentive funding to states and Indian tribes to: (1) implement this Act's requirements, (2) improve and implement building energy codes, and (3) promote building energy efficiency through the use of such codes.
Requires the Secretary to provide technical and financial support for the development of stretch codes and advanced standards for buildings for use as: (1) an option for adoption as a building energy code by local, tribal, or state governments; and (2) guidelines for energy-efficient building design. Requires such stretch codes and advanced standards to be designed to: (1) achieve substantial energy savings compared to the model building energy codes; and (2) meet such targets, if available, at least three to six years in advance of such target years. Requires the Secretary to study the feasibility, impact, economics, and merit of: (1) code improvements that would require that buildings be designed, sited, and constructed in a manner that makes the buildings more adaptable in the future to become zero-net-energy buildings after initial construction; (2) code procedures to incorporate measured lifetimes, not just first-year energy use, in trade-offs and performance calculations; and (3) legislative options for increasing energy savings from building energy codes, including additional incentives for effective state and local action, and verification of compliance with and enforcement of a code other than by a state or local government. Extends the authorization of appropriations for updating state building energy efficiency codes and supporting model building energy 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 IECC for residential buildings and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2010 for commercial buildings.
The summary continues for 14 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 May 13, 2013. 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 June 3, 2013: By Senator Wyden from Committee on Energy and Natural Resources filed written report. Report No. 113-37.
- 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 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 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 April 18, 2013, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 3 Republicans.
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 April 18, 2013, 4893 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4847 days ago, on June 3, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 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