House Resolution 36 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 36 BY ISENHART , ANDERSON , HANSON , MASCHER , McCONKEY , WOLFE , STUTSMAN , STAED , WINCKLER , BENNETT , GASKILL , ABDUL-SAMAD , T. TAYLOR , HEDDENS , COHOON , OLDSON , KRESSIG , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , DUNKEL , DAWSON , FORBES , GAINES , HUNTER , BROWN-POWERS , LENSING , OLSON , KEARNS , OURTH , BERRY , STECKMAN , SMITH , and KELLEY A Resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1 enactment of landmark energy efficiency legislation. 2 WHEREAS, landmark energy efficiency legislation, 3 which has been referred to as the Iowa Energy 4 Efficiency Act, was adopted by the General Assembly and 5 signed into law by Governor Terry E. Branstad 25 years 6 ago; and 7 WHEREAS, the legislation established a state goal of 8 more efficiently utilizing energy resources, especially 9 resources that are renewable or have positive 10 environmental impacts, in order to enhance the state’s 11 economy and of decreasing the state’s dependence on 12 outside energy resources by reducing the amount of 13 energy used; and 14 WHEREAS, the legislation directed that this goal 15 be implemented through programs that promote energy 16 efficiency and energy conservation by all Iowans, 17 through the development and enhancement of an energy 18 efficiency industry, through the utilization of 19 indigenous energy resources that are economically and 20 environmentally viable, and through effective public 21 information and education programs; and 22 WHEREAS, Iowa ranked 11th among the 50 states on the 23 -1- LSB 1266YH (6) 86 rn/nh 1/ 5

H.R. 36 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard for Utilities and 1 Public Benefits Energy Efficiency Programs, according 2 to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient 3 Economy; and 4 WHEREAS, energy efficiency firms employ an estimated 5 10,000 Iowa workers, comprising almost half of Iowa’s 6 advanced energy industry; and 7 WHEREAS, $1.8 billion in ratepayer-funded energy 8 efficiency initiatives by Iowa’s investor-owned 9 utilities since 1990 have achieved an estimated 5 10 million megawatt hours in cumulative savings, as well 11 as significant reductions in electricity demand and 12 natural gas consumption; and 13 WHEREAS, the energy efficiency measures of 14 Iowa’s municipal electric and natural gas utilities 15 implemented by their customer-owners in recent years 16 will save over 1 million megawatt hours of electricity 17 and over 14 million therms of natural gas over the life 18 of the measures installed; and 19 WHEREAS, Iowa’s electric cooperatives have invested 20 over $200 million into local efficiency programs for 21 the benefit of their member-owners over the last 25 22 years; and 23 WHEREAS, Iowa’s public building energy benchmarking 24 program has assessed over 2,000 buildings for 103 25 public organizations, identifying total potential 26 annual energy savings of more than 1 million British 27 thermal units per year for a potential cost savings of 28 more than $14 million per year; and 29 WHEREAS, 421 building projects in Iowa have achieved 30 -2- LSB 1266YH (6) 86 rn/nh 2/ 5

H.R. 36 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design status 1 through the United States Green Building Council, 2 comprising more than 33 million square feet, which is 3 equivalent to 12 Empire State Buildings, with each 4 project achieving at least a 12 percent improvement in 5 energy efficiency; and 6 WHEREAS, state energy code updates since 1990 have 7 required newly-designed buildings to be at least 35 8 percent more efficient in their energy use; and 9 WHEREAS, utilities engage in community-based 10 initiatives that have exceeded expectations, including, 11 for example, the City of Fairfield, which achieved an 12 8.5 percent reduction in overall energy consumption 13 over an 18-month period, and the Winneshiek Energy 14 District, which has helped hundreds of households, 15 businesses, and farms generate more than $3 million in 16 savings to date; and 17 WHEREAS, the Iowa Utilities Board and the staff 18 of the state’s Office of Consumer Advocate have 19 been recognized by their peers for their leadership 20 and example in modeling best practices in energy 21 efficiency and demonstrating collaboration with other 22 stakeholders; and 23 WHEREAS, energy efficiency is the cleanest and 24 lowest-cost energy resource available to meet and 25 offset consumer energy consumption and demand, and 26 abundant opportunities for cost-effective energy 27 efficiency continue to exist in Iowa for homeowners, 28 multi-family residences, business and industry, public 29 buildings, and nonprofit organizations; and 30 -3- LSB 1266YH (6) 86 rn/nh 3/ 5

H.R. 36 WHEREAS, polling in Midwest states including Iowa 1 shows that 95 percent of voters, regardless of age, 2 gender, income, or political affiliation, support 3 or strongly support increasing the use of energy 4 efficiency to meet the state’s future energy needs; NOW 5 THEREFORE, 6 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That 7 the House of Representatives commends all Iowans who 8 have contributed their time, expertise, passion, and 9 initiative to make Iowa a leader in energy efficiency; 10 and 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of 12 Representatives renews its commitment to pursue energy 13 efficiency as a primary strategy for meeting this 14 state’s energy needs, to be achieved through continued 15 incorporation of energy efficiency in integrated 16 resource planning processes by utilities; aggressive 17 energy efficiency goals, policies, and implementation 18 plans that optimize cost-effective energy efficiency 19 practices; a robust energy efficiency marketplace; 20 aggressive energy efficiency education; engagement 21 with community-based energy efficiency stakeholders 22 and initiatives; consistent and reliable accounting of 23 energy efficiency investments and results; and state 24 program administration and regulatory oversight systems 25 by the Iowa Utilities Board and the Office of Consumer 26 Advocate that assure alignment of stakeholder interests 27 and energy efficiency goals; and 28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That each public institution 29 or agency, private organization, and citizen is 30 -4- LSB 1266YH (6) 86 rn/nh 4/ 5