SENATE

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Jacky Rosen (Incumbent)

Democratic

U.S. Senate, Nevada

 

1.         WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS THAT CONGRESS CAN HELP TO REDUCE THE ENERGY AND WATER CONSUMPTION OF BUILDINGS TO HELP MAKE THEM MORE SUSTAINABLE?

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Nevada is no stranger to the need for innovative sustainability, especially in terms of energy and water consumption. We’re also a state where the impact of climate change is strongly felt. As a member of the Senate’s Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, I’ve helped advance legislation to promote clean energy development and greater energy efficiency. In the Senate, I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which included key tax incentives and rebates to make homes and buildings more energy efficient. I helped draft and pass the final Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes grant programs to help buildings be more resilient and efficient in the face of climate change. I have also led a letter to FEMA on the inclusion of construction building codes that increase hazard resilience in the face of increasing drought, earthquakes, fire, and extreme heat, emphasizing that some construction codes have played an important role in creating ways to efficiently use our limited water supply. I also cosponsored the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act, legislation that would create a national strategy and a Chief Resilience Officer to deploy equitable and sustainable climate solutions across federal agencies and ensure better collaboration between local, state, federal, and tribal governments.

 

I am also deeply concerned by the drought crisis negatively impacting Nevada, and I have pushed for the Department of Agriculture to invest in upstream watershed-scale projects, water forecasting, water conservation, and watershed restoration in Nevada and throughout the American West. By passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, I also helped secure a historic amount of federal funds to both address the issue of drought in the Southwestern United States and encourage innovative strategies to support new water recycling and reuse measures.

 

 

2. WHICH SUSTAINABLE BUILDING POLICIES DO YOU SUPPORT AND WOULD WORK TO ENACT IF ELECTED?

 

a. Set benchmarking requirements for commercial buildings and encourage cities and states to adopt performance-based standards for buildings

b. Provide rebates to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements

c. Provide incentives to states and localities to adopt the most up-to-date energy building codes

d. Renew and expand tax incentives for energy efficient buildings

e. Require federal buildings to meet aggressive energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets

f. Provide support to states and localities to make buildings more resilient from natural hazards and disasters

h. Conduct research into the most promising technologies, products and materials that improve occupant health and reduce transmission of contagious disease while saving energy

i. Support programs or incentives to accelerate the electrification of buildings.

 

 

3.         IF ELECTED, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE THAT ALL AMERICANS, REGARDLESS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, ARE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS?

 

I am committed to lowering costs and ensuring that all Nevadans can benefit from a clean energy future and healthier environment. In the Senate, I secured $156 million to expand access to solar energy and make it more affordable for Nevadans through the Solar for All program I helped create. This funding is creating jobs, lowering energy costs for Nevadans, and addressing the climate crisis. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funding for many programs, including the Weatherization Assistance Program, that provide support to communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and ensure access to tools that increase efficiency and sustainability. I’ve also been a strong supporter of funding for programs like ENERGY Star, which are critical for improving the efficiency of buildings, homes and manufacturing facilities while saving consumers money. I will continue to work to make sure that all Americans, regardless of socioeconomic status, are able to benefit from climate friendly solutions.

 

 

4.         IF ELECTED, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO TRAIN AND PREPARE PEOPLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY JOBS THAT ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS AND BUILDING COMPONENTS?

 

With abundant solar, wind, geothermal, and critical mineral resources, Nevada has an opportunity to lead the nation in good-paying clean energy jobs. In the Senate, I’ve worked to bring innovative and important clean industries to Nevada – creating thousands of good-paying jobs for hardworking Nevadans. This includes securing over $1.1 million in funding for programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), which is funding innovative clean-energy initiatives. I also helped designate the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) as a Tech Hub, and secured nearly $21 million to support job training for clean energy sector jobs.

 

Career training and technical education opens the door to high-demand, good-paying jobs while ensuring that there is a large enough workforce to meet the clean energy industry’s needs. In the Senate, I have made workforce development a priority – supporting multiple initiatives backed by federal dollars to improve career training and technical education in Nevada.

 

This Congress, I cosponsored two bipartisan bills that would expand Pell Grant eligibility and eligible uses of tax-exempt savings plans to help students cover costs associated with workforce training and industry-recognized professional certification programs. I also worked to secure federal funding for the Southern Nevada Workforce Connections’ Development Program to train the next generation of workers in Southern Nevada. Additionally, I backed legislation that would deliver a $15 billion investment in America’s workforce training infrastructure and career and technical education. I’ve also introduced legislation to create greater workforce training opportunities in the residential construction industry – helping to create jobs, address high demand from developers, and lower housing costs through more supply.

 

 

5.         ARE YOU WILLING TO WORK WITH THE BUILDING SECTOR TO MAKE SURE THAT TRANSFORMING BUILDINGS IS PART OF THE POLICY DEBATE IN CONGRESS, INCLUDING JOINING CAUCUSES THAT ADVOCATE FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING POLICIES? IF YES, HOW WILL YOU DO THAT?

 

Yes. I am a member of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, and I have a strong working relationship with Nevada’s building sector and construction unions.

 

 

6.         DO YOU HAVE ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS (E.G., SUPPORTING LEGISLATION IN ELECTED OFFICE, MADE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS TO A HOME, OFFICE, COMMUNITY-WIDE, ETC.)?

 

I am a strong supporter of Nevada’s clean energy economy. In the Senate, I helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which are making significant investments in Nevada’s clean energy economy and the jobs it supports. I have advocated for funding for programs like the State Energy Program that work to improve the energy efficiency of buildings like hospitals and schools. Additionally, I’ve advocated for robust funding for programs and research that improves insulation, heating, and cooling of homes and buildings in addition to energy efficiency and weatherization projects.

 

I have also been a strong supporter of Nevada’s solar industry, successfully leading the charge against solar tariffs that would have decimated the industry and helping secure and expand vital extensions of the renewable energy investment tax credit and the residential renewable energy tax credit to boost solar energy.

 

I’ve long been an advocate for clean energy and energy efficiency, and I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact it can have on our communities. As the former president of Congregation Ner Tamid in Henderson, I helped lead a team to construct one of the largest solar installations at the time by a nonprofit in Southern Nevada through a public-private partnership, which was projected to cut our synagogue’s energy costs by up to 70% annually.