Senate passes efficiency bill in early morning surprise vote

Following a long day of votes on a proposed budget resolution, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in the early morning hours of March 27 snuck in an approval of an energy efficiency bill by holding a voice vote with only the two senators on the floor. The Senators passed the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, S. 535, only days before a U.S. Department of Energy decision would have prevented manufacturers from continuing to produce large electric resistance water heaters that many electric cooperatives use as a sort of demand response product.

http://ift.tt/1a3tjve