Senate Passes Energy Bill, NEMA Applauds, Looks to Reconciliation

May 2, 2016
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The U.S. Senate passed the Energy Policy Modernization Act by a vote of 85-12 last month. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., praised the move and the bipartisan way it was achieved. This vote comes four months after a Dec. 3, 2015, vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on its comprehensive energy legislation, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives must now reconcile differences between their two bills before passing final legislation to send to President Obama for his signature. NEMA said it will be working on Capitol Hill to ensure that U.S. lawmakers include electrical industry priorities in the final bill.

If enacted into law, the Energy Policy Modernization Act will increase the adoption of energy-efficient technologies in homes, schools, commercial buildings and federal facilities, NEMA said. The bill contains provisions that would catalyze improvements to the U.S. electric utility  infrastructure, including transmission, distribution and energy storage systems.