A comprehensive national energy policy that includes a commitment to renewable sources is important in addressing our nation’s energy challenges. Renewable energy will encourage a diverse technology sector, ease the strain on the environment, provide energy security, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and create local jobs.

We need to place renewed emphasis on energy conservation and efficiency technologies such as more efficient lighting, appliances and insulation that will reduce the amount of energy we consume.  Responsible energy policies that encourage sensible renewable electricity incentives and stimulate the development of diverse energy technologies will reduce carbon emissions, provide energy security and create green jobs for our local communities.

I also believe that national energy policies should place greater emphasis on renewable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, wave and tidal, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass.

While not every renewable energy technology will work as efficiently in Virginia as in other areas of the country, there are some which hold enormous potential.

To achieve this goal, I have repeatedly voted in the Senate to extend tax incentives and investments in renewable energy that will help stimulate our economy. These include tax credits for wind, biomass, geothermal, small irrigation, hydropower, landfill gas, trash combustion, and marine renewables – many of which were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. To encourage the consumer use of alternative energy, I have also supported the residential energy-efficient property credit for solar, small wind equipment and geothermal heat pumps and a new tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles.

Finally, in 2010 I cosponsored bipartisan Senate legislation to provide targeted incentives for homeowners who make energy efficiency investments in their homes.
 The HOMESTAR Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 would have provided up to $6 billion in time-limited incentives to American homeowners, combined with private-sector investment, to retrofit an estimated three million homes over two years. Economists and industry experts estimate it also would create or maintain more than 150,000 U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs.  While this legislation did not become law in 2010, I continue to explore measures to support energy efficiency to bring down energy costs.