Rep. Waxman urges ‘supercommittee’ to adopt efficiency, export measures

The draft letter calls on supercommittee members to include the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act in its deficit-reduction package. The bill offers homeowners rebates for the cost of energy efficiency renovations. Waxman says the bill, which would cost $6 billion, would save $9.2 billion over the next decade and create 168,000 new jobs.

Waxman says the panel’s deficit-reduction package should also include the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act, a bill aimed at developing a “national clean energy technology export strategy.” The legislation would “help bolster the competitiveness of the U.S. clean technology industry here at home and in the international marketplace,” the draft letter says.

Lastly, Waxman says the supercommittee should adopt the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act, which increases funding for a program to support state-level safe drinking water facilities.

“This investment will create jobs and boost demand for sectors like the cement industry that are struggling with reduced government and private-sector construction,” the draft letter says.

In making his case for inclusion of the three bills in the deficit-reduction package, Waxman argues that the proposals have support from the business community. He points to a report released last month by a coalition of business leaders calling for government investment in the clean energy sector.

A Waxman spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on the letter.

The supercommittee, which is made up of six Democrats and six Republicans from both chambers of Congress, has been tasked with developing a package that reduces the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion by Thanksgiving. Senate and House committees have until Friday to offer suggestions to the panel.

Expect a series of other energy-related proposals from lawmakers in the coming days. For example, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) will recommend that the supercommittee open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Julian Pecquet contributed to this story.

This story was updated at 3:32 p.m.