On January 16th, Molly Cripps, Assistant Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, spoke at a U.S. Capitol briefing, “Energy Efficiency Means Business” sponsored by Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE). She joined a panel of executives from BASF Corp., Eaton, Ingersoll Rand, and Johnson Control, Inc. to speak to congressional staff about the importance of energy efficiency to Tennessee and the Nation.
Ms. Cripps emphasized the importance of federal funding for the U.S. State Energy Program (SEP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program. She noted SEP support of important state activities such as energy emergency planning and response, state energy planning, public facility energy efficiency and resilience upgrades, and renewable energy, noting in particular the benefits to Tennessee. Along with other panelists, Ms. Cripps highlighted the positive economic and employment impacts of energy efficiency investments, cited the wider importance of energy jobs (as covered in the U.S. Energy Employment Report, developed by the Energy Futures Initiative in partnership with NASEO), and discussed energy workforce development topics.