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With
Syria set aside, Rob Portman's energy-efficiency bill makes it to
Senate floor
By
Stephen Koff
September
11, 2013
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- Rob Portman knows how to pivot.
The
senator had just finished explaining on the Senate floor Tuesday why
he could not support a military strike on Syria, which would soon be
off the table anyway. Most people listening or watching had what they
wanted: Portman’s position, which was newsworthy.
But
the Ohio Republican wasn’t done yet. He segued into a pitch for an
energy bill -- an eat-your-peas piece of legislation unlikely to grab
Syria-style headlines or attention. Yet “without a doubt, the
ongoing chaos in Syria has served to remind us once again of the
volatility and instability that has plagued the Middle East for many
years,” Portman said. “It should also serve as a wake-up call,”
he said, because the United States for too long has been
energy-dependent on volatile parts of the world.
Time
for more electric cars, solar energy, wind turbines and the like?
Maybe, but these would be voluntary items on the Ohio Republican’s
wish list.
Portman’s
energy-efficiency bill, co-authored with Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of
New Hampshire, focuses on making factories more energy-efficient,
strengthening state building codes, training workers for clean-energy
jobs and providing taxpayer-funded financial incentives to businesses
to find ways to cut their electricity use.
The
only actual requirement would be be on the federal government, with a
mandate to find ways to cut energy consumption in computers. Portman
and Shaheen say the motivation for the private sector would come from
the ability to save money on energy usage.
Now
that an air strike against Syria is off the immediate agenda,
Portman’s bill is up for consideration. But the timing of a vote is
uncertain because senators first will try to attach various
amendments, including one calling for approval of the controversial
Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. If that one is successfully attached,
the Portman bill could lose some favor…
Read the rest of the
article at the Cleveland Plain Dealer
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