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WASHINGTON, DC – To combat the effects of global warming and climate change, the House of Representatives today approved the Udall Amendment to the House Energy Bill on a vote of 220 to 190. The Amendment creates a national Renewable Energy Standard (RES) that requires electric suppliers to produce 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources, 4 percent of which can come from efficiency, by the year 2020.  Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), a leading cosponsor of the Amendment and lead whip, praised its passage calling it a “commitment to clean energy.”

“The House today made it clear that inaction is no longer an option when it comes to clean and renewable energy,” DeGette said. “The federal government now follows the lead of 23 other states in enacting a national RES program. Over objections from industry, programs across the country have been wildly successful resulting in increased benefits to both consumers and the environment. A national RES program will arm us with a great resource as we accept the challenge of minimizing the impact of global warming.”

The Udall Amendment requires electric utilities to derive 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources, 4 percent of which can come from efficiency, by 2020. During the House Energy bill mark-up in the Committee on Energy and Commerce, DeGette initiated and led a discussion among Committee Members about the value and potential energy efficiency of creating a national standard.

“Under a Republican-controlled Congress, a national RES could not even be debated. The Democratic Congress has made clean energy a priority by offering the American people a New Direction when it comes to energy efficiency in the United States,” concluded DeGette.