Comprehensive Climate Change Bill Introduced in the House

U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced a comprehensive climate change bill on March 2.  The CLEAN Future Act bill is 1,000 pages long and outlines over $565 billion in federal expenditures over the next 10 years to address climate change (and environmental justice).  The legislation would have broad impact on the U.S. economy, including the electric and automotive sectors, industrial energy efficiency, federal procurement of climate-friendly products and retrofitting of the built environment.  A similar bill was introduced in the last Congress, but never gained traction in the Senate.  There are several provisions in the bill that could provide opportunities for CPA members, including grants for manufacturing process energy efficiency improvements, federal procurement of Climate Smart products (those that sequester carbon, supported by environmental product declarations) and a program to retrofit existing residential and commercial structures with climate friendly materials.  Additional details will be shared as the legislation proceeds in the House in the coming weeks.  See CLEAN Future Act.