The House Energy & Commerce Committee on Dec. 3 held a markup, during which two bills of interest to public power were considered.
The first was H.R. 2289, the Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act, which contains the text of H.R. 278, the BROADBAND Leadership Act. APPA opposes H.R. 2289 because Section 102 of the amended bill is the text of H.R. 278 and it would expand federal jurisdiction over public power utility poles.
The committee passed the bill along party lines, 26-24.
Another bill considered by the committee relevant to public power was H.R. 4626, Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act, introduced by Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA). The bulk of the bill focuses on energy efficiency standards for home appliances, a topic on which APPA has not traditionally weighed in. The bill includes a provision that would prohibit DOE from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standards for distribution transformers.
Several Democrats, including Subcommittee on Energy Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), argued that energy efficiency is a proven cost-saving tool and helps to meet rising energy demand across the country. There was no discussion about distribution transformers.
The bill passed the committee along party lines, 26-22.
