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WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) was named to the Conference Committee charged with reconciling the differences between comprehensive energy bills recently passed by the House of Representatives and Senate. The House passed H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act, on December 3, 2015. The Senate approved S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act on April 20, 2016. On Wednesday, the House passed a broader version of its previous bill, which included additional research and natural resources provisions. This paved the way to enter into conference negotiations with the Senate.

“I ran for Congress because we have no clear, focused national energy policy, which should be one that promotes energy efficiency and renewable fuels, develops ‘green collar’ clean energy jobs, and trains a workforce to fill those new positions,” said Tonko. “We don’t have to choose between a strong economy and a sustainable environment – we can have both if Congress works at it and finds creative solutions to the challenges that stand in the way of that goal. This committee is a great opportunity for New York’s Capital Region to have a say in which direction our country goes as we craft this critical energy legislation.”

Rep. Tonko plans to employ his background as an engineer, more than fifteen years of experience as the Chairman of the New York State Assembly Energy Committee, and his time as President and CEO of NYSERDA to inject a seasoned, educated, and experienced voice to Congressional energy negotiations.

Currently, Tonko serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, acts as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, and sits on the Energy and Power Subcommittee. He also serves on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over the federal government’s energy research portfolio.

Earlier this year, Tonko was actively involved in the debate of H.R. 8, where he led efforts to promote energy efficiency and protect public participation in energy infrastructure projects.

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