Resistance to Funding Plan May Jeopardize White House Building Efficiency Initiative

摘要

A White House program to improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings could be thwarted by a lack of congressional support for its funding scheme—repeal of tax incentives for the oil and gas industry, lawmakers and others told BNA Feb. 3. The Better Buildings Initiative, announced by President Obama Feb. 3, aims to improve the efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent over the next decade using a mixture of tax incentives, loan guarantees, and other financing mechanisms. (See related article in this issue.) The White House declined to provide an estimate of the program's cost, but Obama said Feb. 3 it would be paid for by eliminating "the billions in taxpayer dollars that we currently give to oil companies."