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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Chair of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Environment & Climate Change, today cheered the passage of eight bills he authored as part of H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, a sweeping energy package passed by the House of Representatives tonight.

Tonko’s bills include his Scientific Integrity Act, critical investments in clean energy R&D, electric vehicle infrastructure, climate mitigation, advanced battery recycling, and much more.

“For years, our nation has fallen further and further behind the rest of the world in key areas including clean energy innovation, infrastructure development and other areas critical to American jobs, industries and our environment,” Congressman Tonko said. “This bill takes important, timely and in many cases bipartisan steps to put America on the path to recovery and long-term competitiveness and sustainability. Taken together, they will help ensure the United States continues to be the world leader in energy innovation while building support and investments that will help address historic environmental injustices. I am proud of the work we’ve done on this energy package, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to help ensure a bright future for our nation.”

Key Tonko priorities in the House bill include:

• H.R. 1709, the Scientific Integrity Act: legislation that insulates public science and scientists from political meddling or retaliation.
• H.R. 2041, the Weatherization Enhancement and Local Energy Efficiency Investment and Accountability Act: to reauthorize and improve the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, the largest residential energy efficiency program in the country, which makes efficiency improvements in low-income homes.
• H.R. 2659, which would establish a Department of Energy RD&D program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines.
• H.R. 3609, the Wind Energy Research and Development Act: legislation that requires the Department of Energy to carry out a grant program to research, develop, and evaluate wind energy technologies and systems.
• H.R. 5530, the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Rebate Act: to establish a new Department of Energy rebate program to support deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at multi-family homes, workplaces, and other publicly accessible locations.
• H.R. 5335, the American Energy Opportunity Act: legislation that establishes a process for expediting and standardizing the permitting process for certain distributed energy systems.
• H.R. 5544, the American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership Act: phases down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), highly potent greenhouse gases primarily used a refrigerants, by providing an orderly, innovation-driven transition to next generation technologies.
• H.R. 8232, the Bolster American Technology Through Expanding Recycling Yield (BATTERY) Act: to establish a research, development, and demonstration program at the Department of Energy that would support critical mineral recycling and reuse from batteries.

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