IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 188

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a dramatic new direction in

Federal Government energy research, development, demonstration, and

commercialization funding priorities should be adopted to improve environmental protection, create new jobs, enhance United States competitiveness, and reduce the trade deficit.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOVEMBER 22, 1993

Mr. SHARP (for himself, Mr. SWETT, Mrs. MORELLA, Ms. LAMBERT, and Mr.

BOEHLERT) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred jointly to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Science,

Space, and Technology

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a dramatic new

direction in Federal Government energy research, development, demonstration, and commercialization funding

priorities should be adopted to improve environmental

protection, create new jobs, enhance United States competitiveness, and reduce the trade deficit.

Whereas increased investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources means economic growth, expansion

of international export markets, and the creation of new

jobs in the United States;
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•HCON 188 IH

Whereas increased investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources will help protect the environment,

improve public health, and save consumers money;

Whereas the President has committed the United States to

reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to their 1990 levels by the year 2000 and to continuing the trend of reduced emissions thereafter;

Whereas investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources over the next 20 years can create a net

increase of more than 1,000,000 jobs while decreasing

total energy use per unit of economic output by 30 percent;

Whereas United States energy intensity, as measured in

terms of energy use per unit of Gross National Product,

decreased by 26 percent from 1973 to 1986, but since

1986 has only minimally decreased;

Whereas the annual global market for United States energyefficient equipment and services is estimated to be between $8,000,000,000 and $18,000,000,000;

Whereas renewable energy technology exports are an annual

multibillion dollar emerging market, with Latin America

alone a $1,000,000,000 market annually, which offers

significant benefits to American renewable energy technology industries;

Whereas electricity generated by many renewable energy resources has already achieved technical feasibility and cost

competitiveness in a variety of domestic and international

markets;

Whereas the $4,000,000,000 Federal investment in State and

local efficiency programs over the past 12 years has reduced United States total energy consumption by ap-
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•HCON 188 IH

proximately 5 percent, according to the Department of

Energy, which represents energy savings of over

$25,000,000,000;

Whereas net oil imports, at a cost of $45,000,000,000 in

1992 alone, represented 53 percent of the total United

States merchandise trade deficit, and the Department of

Energy projects that net oil imports will cost the United

States $94,000,000,000 annually by the end of the decade;

Whereas studies have shown that with significant investments

in renewable energy research and development and commercialization initiatives, renewable energy technologies

could account for up to half of United States energy supplies by 2030;

Whereas Federal funding for energy efficiency research and

State assistance programs declined by over 50 percent

from $1,320,000,000 in 1980 to $579,000,000 in 1993

(with both such amounts adjusted to 1993 dollars); and

Whereas Federal funding for renewable energy research, development, and demonstration declined nearly 80 percent

from $1,290,000,000 in 1980 to $203,000,000 in 1993

(with both such amounts adjusted to 1993 dollars): Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the national policy of the United States

3 for the future should be—

4 (1) to increase energy efficiency and reduce en5 ergy use per unit of Gross Domestic Product by at

6 least 30 percent by the year 2010, to replicate the

7 progress made since 1973;
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1 (2) to ensure that by 2010, renewable energy

2 technologies (wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and

3 geothermal) account for at least 20 percent of the

4 overall national energy mix; and

5 (3) to achieve these goals by adopting a na6 tional strategy which changes priorities within the

7 Department of Energy’s overall budget, by fiscal

8 year 1996, to shift $1,000,000,000 from the Depart9 ment of Energy’s overall budget for conventional en10 ergy and other programs to spending on efficiency,

11 conservation, and renewable energy programs, con12 sistent with the aim of lowering the Federal deficit.

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