Electrification Caucus Co-Chairs Call For Action On Electrification Measures To Lower Costs For American Families, Create Jobs, Combat Climate Crisis

WASHINGTON (Feb. 17, 2022) – Electrification Caucus Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are calling on Congress to advance policies that accelerate widespread electrification, including making electrification for households easy and affordable through consumer rebates.
 
VIDEO: Electrification Caucus Co-Chairs Call For Action On Electrification Measures

As Congress debates a path forward on significant climate legislation, the co-chairs held a virtual briefing yesterday to highlight how electrification for homes, commercial buildings, and vehicles has broad support and is one of the most practical actions to address the climate crisis, lower costs for American families, create jobs, and improve indoor air quality.

“Electrifying our future will help American families save money and build better lives. Switching to an efficient heat pump saves families money on their monthly utility bills while keeping their homes warm; putting in an induction stove makes cooking faster and cleaner; and plugging in an electric vehicle means no more volatile gas prices at the pump. All of these economic benefits are complemented by the potential to create good-paying local jobs, putting Americans to work manufacturing, installing, and servicing these electrified machines in towns across America,” said Castor. 

“Electrifying our buildings and vehicles will not only prove vital in our fight against the climate crisis, but also offers untapped opportunities to improve energy efficiency, spur innovation and provide all Americans with better, cleaner alternatives,” said Tonko. “Now is the time for Congress to take bold steps towards electrification in order to help Americans save on their energy bills while breathing cleaner air. We stand ready to keep fighting for strong action that meets our climate goals and paves a path towards a clean energy economy.”
 
“As the father of two teenage sons, I know just how attuned our kids are to how their future is going to be impacted by the climate crisis. We need to treat this moment like it’s our best chance to make a big difference on the type of planet we will pass down to our kids and to future generations--because frankly it is,” said Heinrich. “The purchasing decisions we make around our kitchen tables have the ability to impact our health, our children, and the very future of our planet. Investments to make household electrification easy and affordable through consumer rebates has broad support and is one of the most practical actions we can take to address the climate crisis, lower costs for American families, create jobs, and improve indoor air quality.”
 
“Climate change isn’t waiting for us to take action. To address this crisis, we must reduce emissions,” said Smith. “Building out clean electricity and then electrifying everything we can is a powerful combination. It isn’t just good for the climate, it also saves people money. The planet and future generations depend on us acting now. We must work together and pass strong clean energy legislation now.” 
 
The Electrification Caucus Co-Chairs were joined yesterday by Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner, CEO of Rewiring America Ari Matusiak, and CEO of Redfin Glenn Kelman.
 
“As mayor of the nation’s 4th largest city and chair of Climate Mayors, I know there are opportunities to invest in renewable energy and accelerate the electrification of projects in mass transit, municipal vehicles, and buildings. As we invest in our infrastructure, we must also invest in our people and give them the tools to participate in our effort to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable community through consumer rebates,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “To realize the full potential of the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act must go hand-in-hand. The Build Back Better Act is not just nice to have; it is a must-have. I urge Congress to act with a sense of urgency to pass the bill and its climate provisions.”
 
“As we continue to grow our movement with our coalition partners from the public and private sectors, our mission remains steadfast in accelerating electrification across the country, recognizing the American household as the nexus for our climate infrastructure,” said Rewiring America CEO Ari Matusiak. “Meeting the moment for the ongoing climate crisis will require buy-in from households across the country, and the federal government has the ability to spur this market transformation through consumer rebates and electrification projects that will ensure equitable and fair access to consumers throughout the country. Now is the time for action, and today's press conference highlighted the breadth of support for the Senate to advance these policies that address the climate crisis head-on.”
 
The bicameral Electrification Caucus is committed to advancing widespread electrification by addressing:

• Consumer rebates, consumer-facing tax credits, and financing mechanisms
• Workforce training 
• Justice and equity issues related to electrification
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure
• Building codes 
• Grid improvements and expanding transmission
• Upstream incentives to spur U.S. manufacturing
• Transition of electric sector to clean energy
• Incentives to encourage electrification of industrial processes and facilities

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