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 envi-
ronmental protection, create new jobs, enhance United States competitive-
ness, 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 re-
ferred 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, devel-
opment, demonstration, and commercialization funding
priorities should be adopted to improve environmental
protection, create new jobs, enhance United States com-
petitiveness, and reduce the trade deficit.
Whereas increased investment in energy efficiency and renew-
able energy resources means economic growth, expansion
of international export markets, and the creation of new
jobs in the United States;
•HCON 188 IH
Whereas increased investment in energy efficiency and renew-
able 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 lev-
els by the year 2000 and to continuing the trend of re-
duced emissions thereafter;
Whereas investments in energy efficiency and renewable en-
ergy 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 per-
cent;
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 energy-
efficient equipment and services is estimated to be be-
tween $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 tech-
nology industries;
Whereas electricity generated by many renewable energy re-
sources 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 re-
duced United States total energy consumption by ap-
•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 dec-
ade;
Whereas studies have shown that with significant investments
in renewable energy research and development and com-
mercialization initiatives, renewable energy technologies
could account for up to half of United States energy sup-
plies 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, de-
velopment, 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
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the national policy of the United States
for the future should be—
(1) to increase energy efficiency and reduce en-
ergy use per unit of Gross Domestic Product by at
least 30 percent by the year 2010, to replicate the
progress made since 1973;
•HCON 188 IH
(2) to ensure that by 2010, renewable energy
technologies (wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and
geothermal) account for at least 20 percent of the
overall national energy mix; and
(3) to achieve these goals by adopting a na-
tional strategy which changes priorities within the
Department of Energy’s overall budget, by fiscal
year 1996, to shift $1,000,000,000 from the Depart-
ment of Energy’s overall budget for conventional en-
ergy and other programs to spending on efficiency,
conservation, and renewable energy programs, con-
sistent with the aim of lowering the Federal deficit.
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