June 15, 2024
Dear Friends,
Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve been a leader on efforts to protect our planet and accelerate our nation’s transition to a cleaner, greener economy. The climate crisis continues to impact our communities with a steep rise in severe weather events and heat-related illnesses, underscoring the urgent need for action on this issue. Unfortunately, many Republicans have spent years working to defend fossil fuel interests and block important progress on our clean energy transition, claiming that any efforts to improve clean energy standards must inevitably lead to higher costs for American consumers.
This, however, is a false dichotomy. We can and must seize the opportunity to advance commonsense policies that protect our environment, improve sustainability, and cut home energy costs for hardworking American families. In recent years, we’ve made significant progress toward that goal through measures like the Inflation Reduction Act. But our work is still far from complete.
One of the most effective ways for households to enhance sustainability and reduce their energy bills is by retrofitting their homes to improve energy efficiency. For more than 40 years, the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) has provided funding to help millions of low-income families invest in these upgrades, making their homes safer, healthier, and more energy efficient. Data shows that home weatherization significantly reduces energy burdens, helping households receiving WAP assistance save an average of $372 per year on their energy bills.
Despite the program’s success, however, existing barriers often prevent certain families from addressing critical structural issues in their homes. WAP has a limit on the amount of assistance a household can receive, known as the average cost per unit (ACPU), as well as restrictions on the types of upgrades eligible for assistance. Because of these limits, which have not been adjusted sufficiently to account for the rising cost of building materials, many low-income Americans facing problems like leaky roofs and mold infestations have found themselves unable to receive the federal assistance they need to make their homes safer and more sustainable.
I’ve sought to solve this problem by authoring the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act. My legislation, which I introduced this week alongside two of my colleagues, would strengthen WAP by doubling the ACPU from $6,000 to $12,000, a long-overdue adjustment that will allow many more families to take advantage of the benefits of weatherizing their homes. Additionally, our bill would provide funding and new authorization for the Weatherization Readiness Program (WRP) to address structural, plumbing, roofing, and electrical issues, as well as environmental hazards that together leave many households ineligible to receive effective assistance from WAP. With these improvements, more hardworking families will be able to prepare their homes for weatherization and then implement the upgrades they need, thereby lowering energy costs and preserving their homes for generations to come.
Another key pillar of our efforts to drive clean energy advancements and put more money back into the pockets of American families is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This transformative legislation is helping consumers save on their energy bills by providing significant tax incentives and rebates that help families enhance the sustainability of their homes. Already, millions of households have begun using these credits to make a wide array of energy-saving upgrades, from the installation of solar panels to the furnishing of new energy-efficient windows, doors, and insulation.
Now, New Yorkers are poised to reap even more benefits from this landmark law. A few weeks ago, New York became the first state in the nation to roll out Home Electrification Appliance Rebate (HEAR) funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. With the launch of this program, income-eligible New York residents will be able to receive rebates for even more energy efficiency improvements, including up to $4,000 for electrical service upgrades and up to $8,000 to install heat pumps. Nearly two years after President Biden signed the IRA into law, this groundbreaking legislation is still paying new dividends for hardworking Americans.
If we are to successfully combat the climate crisis and complete our transition to clean energy, we must reject the false choice between protecting our environment and lowering energy costs for American families. Through measures like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act, my Democratic colleagues and I are determined to make progress toward each of these goals in tandem, ensuring that every American can reap the rewards of a more sustainable future.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- This week, the U.S. Department of State launched a public beta for an updated Online Passport Renewal (OPR) tool!
- Members of the public are invited to participate in this beta program, which will accept a small number of online applications each day — with that number gradually increasing over time.
- Online Passport Renewal will open to accept new applications at 1:00 PM ET each day.
- Eligible individuals must first create a login.gov account to renew their passports online and will then be able to apply online until the daily application threshold is met.
- The tool will close each day once the daily threshold is reached.
- During this beta, not everyone who wishes to apply online will be able to do so on the day of their choice.
- However, anyone who is not able to submit their application online or prefers to renew by mail can still do so. Processing times for online passport renewal are the same as those for renewal by mail.
- To learn more about this new tool, click HERE.
