Public Policy Alumna Testifies before House Subcommittee

Posted June 2, 2015

Elizabeth Noll, energy advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Public Policy alumna, testified before the House Of Representatives Energy and Power Subcommittee on April 30, 2015. The hearing focused on the recently released discussion draft of potential energy efficiency legislation. Noll stated “Congress should reject any proposal to delay, weaken, or repeal strong clean energy programs that have proven effective and instead continue passing meaningful energy efficiency policies Americans want.” Noll remarked on three provisions that would reverse the progress made and harm energy efficiency, including:

1. Section 4124 to block the Department of Energy from finalizing a rule amending efficiency standards for non-weatherized gas furnaces. The proposed standards   would save the consumer $600 over the life of the furnace.
2. Section 4115 would repeal the fossil fuel consumption reduction for federal buildings which would impact a requirement that all new and modified federal buildings reduce fossil fuel generated energy by 2030. The bill is an opportunity for the federal government to show leadership in how rapidly and economically the efficiencies could be achieved. The federal government spends approximately $6 billion a year on energy in government buildings.
3. Section 4131 Greater energy efficiency in building codes which seeks to increase transparency and cost-effectiveness in the development of model energy codes. This bill would limit the Department of Energy’s role in future code development cycles and its ability to advocate for cost – effective energy efficiency.

Noll graduated from Georgia Tech with a Master of Science in Public Policy in 2011. While at Georgia Tech she worked as a research assistant for the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. She joined the Natural Resources Defense Council's Energy and Transportation Program in 2014 to advocate on energy efficiency standards and related issues at the national level. Her goal is “to make the world a better place one appliance standard at a time.”