Energy
Fighting for Energy Independence and Investing in Clean Energy
Senator Reed has fought for a national energy policy that creates jobs and saves families and businesses money through improved efficiency for cars, appliances, and insulation. Investing in clean energy increases American competitiveness and helps cut down on pollution.
Reed led the fight to crack down on excessive market manipulation, which can inflate energy prices. He also cosponsored legislation to improve vehicle fuel efficiency standards.
To make America more energy independent he has supported efforts to safely and responsibly increase domestic oil and gas production. And to help protect taxpayers and the environment, Reed, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, wants stronger oversight of energy companies drilling in public lands and waters to provide better inspections of drilling facilities and to ensure energy companies are paying their fair share of royalties to the American people.
Read More »Reed is also the leading champion of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal grant program that provides states with money to help seniors and low-income households afford their energy bills.
Key Priorities & Accomplishments
- Under Reed’s leadership, LIHEAP funding has increased over the last decade to over $250 million to meet the needs of Rhode Islanders.
- Reed succeeded in convincing both the Bush and Obama Administrations to form federal task forces to help ferret out unscrupulous and excessive speculative conduct in the energy commodity markets.
- Reed helped pass a landmark energy bill that raised fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks for the first time in thirty-two years, saving consumers more than $3,000 in fuel costs over the lifetime of new vehicles. The law also provided incentives for increased efficiency in buildings and homes and improves lighting and appliance efficiency standards.
- Over the last five years, Reed has helped secure over $25 million in federal weatherization assistance to help create green jobs and enable more Rhode Islanders to make energy-efficiency improvements to reduce their energy bills.
The Latest
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Reed Congratulates RI’s 2012 Green Ribbon Schools
U.S. Senator Jack Reed today congratulated Classical High School and Nathan Bishop Middle School for being selected among the first winners of the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools recognition. The national designation recognizes “green&...
Posted on 4/23/2012 | -
Reed Backs New Rules to Crack Down on Oil Market Manipulation
In an effort to protect consumers and curb rising gas prices, U.S. Senator Jack Reed is backing President Obama’s efforts to strengthen federal oversight of oil markets, stiffen penalties for market manipulation, and raise margin requirements energy traders must put...
Posted on 4/17/2012 | -
Reed: End Handouts to Big Oil Companies
Posted on 3/28/2012 | -
Reed Votes to End Handouts to Big Oil Companies
Tonight the U.S. Senate voted to advance a measure that would end tax subsidies for large oil companies. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a cosponsor of the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act, wants to end corporate welfare to the five largest oil companies and use the $...
Posted on 3/26/2012 | -
Reed: Fuel the Economy, Not the Oil Industry
After the oil industry claimed this week that fewer environmental regulations, continuing $4 billion in annual U.S. taxpayer subsidies to private oil companies, and allowing drilling anywhere on federal land and along the coasts would “immediately” lower gasoli...
Posted on 3/23/2012 | -
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RI Advances Commercial Offshore Wind Energy Development
Posted on 2/24/2012 |
