Markey: Home Star a Home Run for Consumers
Bipartisan Bill Will Create or Save up to 168,000 Jobs
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The Home Star program to help families upgrade their homes with energy saving efficient windows, doors and other home improvements, today passed the House of Representatives. The Home Star legislation, which is backed by President Obama, passed by a vote of 246-161.
“Home Star will be an economic home run for homeowners and home contractors everywhere, helping to shrink energy bills while creating jobs,” said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“With the passage of this bipartisan bill, we are a major step closer to getting this program signed into law. This bill will create good paying jobs while saving consumers’ money and helping to end our dependence on foreign oil.”
Home Star is a program designed to help every homeowner looking for a little extra help to make their home more efficient by saving energy. The program will provide homeowners rebates for purchasing and installing more efficient windows, doors, insulation and other home improvements that will cut energy bills, while jumpstarting our manufacturing and labor sectors. In addition, 90% of the retrofit products for Home Star - windows, doors, and insulation - are manufactured in the USA.
Home Star is supported by a wide-ranging coalition that includes thousands of business, labor, environmental, and manufacturing leaders. These organizations and companies include the National Association of Manufacturers, United Steelworkers, The Service Employees International Union, Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Owens Corning.
The Home Star program addresses several important issues facing the American economy:
JOBS: Home Star will create or save an estimated 168,000 jobs. There is currently an approximately 27 percent unemployment rate in the construction sector.
HOMEOWNERS: Home Star will help homeowners save $9.2 billion dollars on their energy bills.
ENERGY: In 2011 alone, Home Star will save an amount of electricity equivalent to four 300 megawatt power plants and an amount of natural gas and home heating oil that is the equivalent of 6.8 million barrels of heating oil.
Rep. Markey noted that while a Republican recommittal motion to the bill was adopted prior to the bill’s final passage, that motion was “a political gimmick that will be promptly stripped from the bill in conference with the Senate.”
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The Select Committee was active during the 110th and 111th Congresses. This is an archived version of the website, to ensure that the public has ongoing access to the Select Committee record. This website, including external links, will not be updated after Jan. 3rd, 2010.
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