U.S. To Establish Clean Energy Investment Agency

Last week, Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the “21st Century Energy Technology Deployment Act.” This bipartisan bill, S. 949, is co-sponsored by Sens. Dorgan (D-ND), Voinovich (R-OH), Stabenow (D-MI), Lugar (R-IN), Shaheen (D-NH) and Burr (R-NC). The legislation seeks to improve the loan guarantee program at the Department of Energy (DOE) and to provide additional options for deploying energy technologies. The basis of the bill is to shore up the existing program at DOE, then transition to a new financially-focused agency to perform and expand upon the duties of the program.