On May 12, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman presented to the U.S. Senate the American Power Act, legislation designed, according to the bill, “to secure the energy future of the United States, to provide incentives for the domestic production of clean energy technology, to achieve meaningful pollution reductions, [and] to create jobs.” The bill, which is available for download in its full form at kerry.senate.gov, has received support in its introduction from organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the United Steelworkers, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Nuclear Energy Institute, as well as from companies such as Nike and General Electric. Several building manufacturer alliances, however, have issued formal responses raising concerns about the proposed legislation.
In its response, the American Materials Manufacturing Alliance (AMMA)—a group that includes the Aluminum Association, the American Chemistry Council, the American Forest & Paper Association, the American Iron and Steel Institute, The Fertilizer Institute, and the Portland Cement Association—notes that, while the bill includes funding for energy efficiency and clean energy sources and technology, it is not at the level required to keep American manufacturing competitive. According to them, “we believe that compared with past bills, the legislation released … invests more in U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. However, in several key areas, more must be done to ensure the global competitiveness of [energy-intensive, trade-exposed] EITE industries.” The AMMA raises concerns that the bill does not address increased energy costs, nor does it create a single national program for regulating greenhouse gases.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) also issued a response that states that the proposed climate bill will undermine efforts to build green structures and improve the efficiency of the nation’s infrastructure, and raises concern about the authority vested in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the amount of funds allocated to updating aging infrastructure through the proposed legislation. In response, the AGC proposes following measures identified in its “Building a Green Future” plan, which is available for download at its website, agc.org.