Reps. Levin & Casten & SEEC Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Introduce the Energy Bills Relief Act
Washington, D.C. – Today, 120 House Democrats led by the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act, a family- and consumer-focused approach to United States energy policy that ensures Americans have access to the most reliable and low-cost source of power available – renewable energy.
“The Energy Bills Relief Act is the consumer-first energy policy that American families have been demanding. It lowers energy bills by putting affordability over profits, deploys the most affordable and reliable energy we have ever had, modernizes our electric grid, and ensures that data centers and large energy users pay their fair share instead of passing those costs onto families and small businesses,” said Rep. Levin. “American families were promised lower energy costs. Instead, this Administration canceled clean energy projects that would have helped to meet rising demand, repealed the tax credits that were actually keeping costs down, and left families holding the bill. The Energy Bills Relief Act changes that equation entirely and delivers the real, comprehensive relief that families across this country deserve.”
“Families across America are struggling with ever-increasing energy prices. In the last year, electricity rates have soared, increasing by as much as 13% under the Trump Administration. We can point to any number of things that have driven those increases, but at the center of it is that our current energy policy prioritizes the interests of energy producers over the interests of energy consumers,” said Rep. Casten. “It’s time to change that. The Energy Bills Relief Act is a consumer-focused approach that prioritizes expanding access to low-cost, clean energy. It lowers costs, increases reliability, and helps provide a livable planet we can pass to our children and grandchildren.”
Text of the legislation can be found here.
A section-by-section can be found here.
A one-page summary can be found here. A three-page summary can be found here.
A list of cosponsors can be found here.
Statements of support from key issues advocacy organizations and industry leaders can be found here.
The Energy Bills Relief Act prioritizes consumers and ensures access to low-cost energy for our homes, businesses, and economy by:
- Reinstating tax credits for home and system-wide energy improvements that were ended by President Trump and congressional Republicans
- Incentivizing utility companies to save consumers’ money by rewarding them for making their systems more efficient, thereby lowering bills
- Providing financial assistance to American families to make sure their power isn’t shut off
- Cracking down on price gouging, so energy companies can’t take advantage of you to boost their profits
- Ensuring that facilities like data centers are paying for their own costs because it’s not fair for their expenses to be pushed onto your household if one opens in your area
- Giving a voice to the American people so they can benefit from energy projects in their community
Electricity rates are surging nationwide, and millions of households are struggling to pay their rising energy bills. The most effective way to lower utility costs for American households is to expand access to renewable energy — the most reliable and low-cost energy source.
We have the tools to power America with abundant, reliable, American-made clean energy. The missing link between those tools and expanded access to that low-cost and efficient energy is a consumer-first energy policy.
For too long, U.S. energy policy has boosted the profits of energy producers at the expense of energy consumers. The Energy Bills Relief Act shifts our focus to lowering costs and increasing reliability for American homes and businesses by deploying more renewable energy. It is firmly rooted in the American values of choice and competition. It prioritizes consumers and ensures access to low-cost energy for our homes, businesses, and economy.
The Energy Bills Relief Act is what American families need to see costs go down, reliability go up, and ensure our electric grid can meet rising demand.
Last September, Reps. Levin and Casten released a discussion draft of the legislation under the name of the Cheap Energy Act.
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