The Renewable Energy Finance Act is moving onward and upwards at the Capitol! The New Era the intern legislative team has been working hard to spread the word and gain support for Senate Bill 51. This bill will improve an existing bill that passed last year that created a fund for low interest loans for renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades. This bill has the added potential of improving the notoriously strained tenant-landlord relationships as well. There has been too long of a stale mate between the two parties over energy bills and efficiency improvements. Up until now there has been little incentive for either side to invest in improvements, but this bill could begin to make headway towards improvements by providing some marketing incentives that could benefit both sides. Imagine your landlord actually doing something to help lower those ever-rising energy bills!

The bill is going strong for the meantime, having recently passed the Local Government and Energy Committee, it is on its way to the Appropriations Committee on Friday the 26th.  With any luck and hopefully a lot of support, the bill will soon be headed to the Senate floor for its first round of readings.