Title: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation in the United States by 2035.
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States must (1) accelerate the electrification of households, buildings, and businesses; (2) modernize the electricity grid; and (3) continue on the path towards decarbonizing electricity generation by 2035.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 224 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 224

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize 
 the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of 
      clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by 
    accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and 
    businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States 
  electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing 
          electricity generation in the United States by 2035.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 18, 2021

Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Booker, Mr. Padilla, Mr. 
  Merkley, Mr. Markey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
 Bennet, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Lujan, 
and Mr. King) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
             the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States must seize 
 the opportunity to create millions of jobs, become a net exporter of 
      clean energy, and secure a better, more equitable future by 
    accelerating the electrification of households, buildings, and 
    businesses in the United States, modernizing the United States 
  electricity grid, and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing 
          electricity generation in the United States by 2035.

Whereas the United States enjoys an abundance of clean energy resources, world-
        class research facilities, cutting-edge industrial capabilities, and an 
        unrivaled culture of entrepreneurship and technological innovation;
Whereas, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, technology exists to 
        power the majority of energy systems in the United States with zero-
        emission electricity;
Whereas achieving widespread electrification--

    (1) will reduce the overall energy needs of the United States economy 
by up to 50 percent; and

    (2) can substantially decrease overall consumer energy costs while 
maintaining the same or better lifestyles for individuals and families in 
the United States;

Whereas national and subnational economies around the world, including in the 
        United States, are engaged in a fundamental transition away from energy 
        systems based on fossil fuels to zero-emission energy systems;
Whereas the United States has the opportunity to become a clean energy 
        superpower, and in the process has the opportunity--

    (1) to become a net exporter of bulk zero-emission electricity and of 
products made with zero-emission electricity;

    (2) to capture new and expanding power and technology markets;

    (3) to benefit from the ongoing global transition away from fossil fuel 
energy towards widespread electrification using zero-emission electricity; 
and

    (4) to become an international leader in the production and adoption of 
zero-emission vehicles;

Whereas climate change caused by human activities, especially by greenhouse gas 
        emissions from fossil fuel combustion, represents a serious, present, 
        and growing threat--

    (1) to human health, security, and economic well-being; and

    (2) to the environment;

Whereas low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately 
        impacted by the harmful effects of climate change and air pollution, 
        including being at a higher risk of experiencing--

    (1) severe floods, droughts, and wildfires;

    (2) economic dislocation; and

    (3) significant health problems, including pneumonia, asthma, 
bronchitis, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer;

Whereas transitioning the energy systems of the United States to zero-emission 
        electricity would--

    (1) drastically reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in the United 
States;

    (2) improve air and water quality throughout the United States; and

    (3) improve numerous health conditions associated with the burning of 
fossil fuels for millions of individuals in the United States;

Whereas the work required to electrify the economy of the United States would 
        produce millions of high-paying, sustainable jobs that would--

    (1) be created throughout the United States, including in urban, rural, 
suburban, and Tribal communities; and

    (2) require directly translatable skills from individuals who, as of 
the date of adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in--

    G    (A) the fossil fuel industry;

    G    (B) the construction and building industry;

    G    (C) the electricity industry, including residential and commercial 
electricians; and

    G    (D) the automotive industry;

Whereas the average household in the United States spends, as of the date of 
        adoption of this resolution, approximately $4,500 per year on energy, 
        including $2,000 per year on vehicle fuel;
Whereas, with supportive policy, households in the United States can save up to 
        half of their annual energy costs by electrifying their household energy 
        systems, including through--

    (1) the installation of--

    G    (A) rooftop or distributed photovoltaic solar and home battery 
systems;

    G    (B) electric heat pumps and electric heat pump water heaters; and

    G    (C) electric household appliances; and

    (2) the purchase of electric vehicles;

Whereas many low- and moderate-income families in the United States lack access 
        to credit and financing options that would enable those families to 
        install money-saving electrified household energy systems;
Whereas reaping the benefits of electrification could be made more accessible 
        and cost-effective for individuals in the United States, so that the 
        access and costs compare more favorably with other countries, by--

    (1) reducing the up-front capital outlays typically required; and

    (2) decreasing the cost of local permitting and regulations for rooftop 
solar and other distributed renewable energy generation in the United 
States;

Whereas investments in energy efficiency programs can--

    (1) reduce the size and cost of electric heating systems;

    (2) help increase systemic resiliency to periods of extreme 
temperature; and

    (3) in addition to other investments in infrastructure, help improve 
the ability of the electric power grid to serve peak electric demand;

Whereas utility-scale wind and solar installations are among the lowest-cost 
        sources of electricity available in the United States;
Whereas additional interregional high-voltage direct-current electricity 
        transmission capacity--

    (1) is critical to the development of new clean energy generation; and

    (2) can help ensure reliable and consistent electricity supply; and

Whereas supporting rapid electrification and innovation in all sectors of the 
        United States economy while transitioning to zero-emission electricity 
        production using proven generation technologies is one of the fastest, 
        most efficient ways to reduce United States greenhouse gas emissions, 
        reduce the average energy bills of people of the United States, and 
        create millions of good-paying jobs to put individuals in the United 
        States back to work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Now, therefore 
        be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the United States must seize the opportunity to create 
        millions of jobs, become a net exporter of clean energy, and 
        secure a better, more equitable future by accelerating the 
        electrification of households, buildings, and businesses in the 
        United States, modernizing the United States electricity grid, 
        and continuing on the path towards decarbonizing electricity 
        generation in the United States by 2035;
            (2) the goals described in paragraph (1) are consistent 
        with, and should be achieved through, efforts that prioritize 
        the objectives of--
                    (A) creating millions of good-paying jobs, with 
                collective bargaining agreements, and advancing a 
                thriving, equitable economy with an expanded middle 
                class;
                    (B) maintaining the global leadership of the United 
                States in innovation;
                    (C) ensuring that not less than 40 percent of the 
                benefits of Federal investments in electrification 
                efforts flow to historically marginalized communities 
                and individuals disproportionately affected by the 
                health and environmental impacts of fossil fuels;
                    (D) rehiring through place-based policies, 
                retraining, and certifying, for electrification and 
                clean energy jobs, individuals that, as of the date of 
                adoption of this resolution, hold jobs in the fossil 
                fuel industry (referred to in this resolution as 
                ``energy veterans'');
                    (E) advancing strong labor and safety standards 
                throughout the supply chain by using certain Federal 
                provisions, including--
                            (i) chapter 83 of title 41, United States 
                        Code (commonly known as the ``Buy American 
                        Act''); and
                            (ii) subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A 
                        of subtitle II of title 40, United States Code 
                        (commonly known as the ``Davis-Bacon Act'');
                    (F) decreasing the harmful health and environmental 
                impacts of climate change, which fall 
                disproportionately on low-income people and communities 
                of color in the United States;
                    (G) ensuring access to low-cost, reliable 
                electricity for individuals, families, and businesses, 
                while recognizing and addressing the infrastructural 
                challenges in rural and Tribal communities;
                    (H) modernizing the electric power grid of the 
                United States and its operations to increase the 
                security, resilience, reliability, fairness, and 
                flexibility of the electric power grid;
                    (I) transforming existing industries in the United 
                States into 21st century industries that use and 
                produce clean energy; and
                    (J) enhancing the national security of the United 
                States, including the cybersecurity of the electric 
                power grid; and
            (3) to succeed, the goals described in paragraph (1) and 
        the objectives described in paragraph (2) should be 
        accomplished through efforts that--
                    (A) electrify the activities of high-emissions 
                sectors, such as the residential and commercial 
                construction, transportation, and industrial sectors, 
                including by--
                            (i) supporting and incentivizing the 
                        residential and commercial deployment of 
                        electric technologies, including battery 
                        storage systems, electric heat pumps, electric 
                        induction stoves, electric vehicle chargers, 
                        and electric water heaters;
                            (ii) supporting the expansion of 
                        residential, commercial, and public electric 
                        vehicle charging infrastructure, including in 
                        rural areas and low- and moderate-income 
                        communities;
                            (iii) supporting the widespread 
                        electrification of public transportation 
                        systems, including the expansion of public 
                        transportation systems in rural and suburban 
                        communities; and
                            (iv) investing in research, development, 
                        demonstration, and deployment programs for 
                        electrification of key industrial processes;
                    (B) increase the deployment of zero-emission 
                electricity resources, including by--
                            (i) expanding investment in zero-emission 
                        electricity generation;
                            (ii) lowering the permitting and hardware 
                        costs, and streamlining the process, of 
                        installing distributed energy systems;
                            (iii) improving the permitting and leasing 
                        processes for zero-emission electricity 
                        generation facilities on public land and 
                        offshore waters within the jurisdiction of the 
                        United States; and
                            (iv) ending subsidies for fossil fuel 
                        development on both public and private land;
                    (C) invest in energy efficiency programs paired 
                with electrification measures, including household 
                weatherization and high efficiency electric heating and 
                cooling systems;
                    (D) expand interregional transmission capacity and 
                planning to promote widespread and reliable zero-
                emission electrification;
                    (E) adopt and expand the use of technologies and 
                processes that will make the electric power grid more 
                resilient, reliable, and efficient;
                    (F) improve commercial, infrastructural, and 
                manufacturing capacity for zero-emission 
                electrification, including by--
                            (i) identifying and encouraging best 
                        practices for organizing electrification 
                        markets across communities and streamlining 
                        local regulations and permitting requirements;
                            (ii) upgrading home-load centers to support 
                        the power supply necessary for widespread 
                        household electrification;
                            (iii) setting national standards for 
                        electrification projects that align 
                        electrification markets across jurisdictions, 
                        while still allowing for private sector 
                        innovation and technological advances; and
                            (iv) expanding and electrifying 
                        manufacturing facilities so that the United 
                        States can produce and export products made 
                        with clean energy;
                    (G) increase the available financing for zero-
                emission electrification supporting technologies at all 
                scales, from utility-scale power stations and 
                transmission lines to individual homes and businesses, 
                including by--
                            (i) providing seed funding for a clean 
                        energy and sustainability accelerator that will 
                        leverage public and private investment in zero-
                        emission electricity across the United States;
                            (ii) adopting policies to increase 
                        available financing for distributed zero-
                        emission electricity generation, especially by 
                        low- and moderate-income households and 
                        individuals historically denied access to 
                        credit;
                            (iii) increasing financial incentives at 
                        the Federal, State, and local levels for 
                        domestic manufacturing of electric appliances, 
                        vehicles, technologies, and systems; and
                            (iv) creating accessible financing 
                        mechanisms to make electrification projects 
                        affordable for all households, including for 
                        both homeowners and renters, across rural, 
                        urban, suburban, and Tribal communities across 
                        the United States;
                    (H) expand access to, and increase the quality of, 
                higher education, vocational training, and 
                certification programs for workers contributing to the 
                goals described in paragraph (1) and the objectives 
                described in paragraph (2) with an emphasis on--
                            (i) ensuring and encouraging access to 
                        those programs for--
                                    (I) low-income individuals; and
                                    (II) people of color;
                            (ii) eliminating gender-based and race-
                        based pay gaps;
                            (iii) protecting the right of workers to 
                        organize and bargain collectively; and
                            (iv) rehiring through place-based policies 
                        and retraining of energy veterans;
                    (I) facilitate the modernization of Federal, State, 
                and local building, electric, and other codes to 
                encourage the adoption of low-cost zero-emission 
                electricity resources, including through grant and 
                technical assistance programs;
                    (J) invest in achieving full access to zero-
                emission electricity for rural and Tribal communities 
                through a combination of new transmission and 
                distribution, and new generation, such as through 
                distributed solar and microgrids;
                    (K) pursue a Federal Government-wide approach to 
                zero-emission electrification;
                    (L) increase understanding of the health impacts of 
                indoor and outdoor air pollution created by fossil fuel 
                appliances and electricity generation, especially on 
                the most vulnerable members of society;
                    (M) invest in research, development, and 
                demonstration on the efficient use, recycling, and 
                waste management of materials used in clean energy 
                technologies, including the sustainable sourcing and 
                recycling of critical minerals used in the 
                technologies; and
                    (N) increase research, development, and 
                demonstration funding for the next generation of 
                cutting-edge zero-emission electricity resources, 
                deployment techniques, and grid modernization 
                technologies.
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