H.R. 5967: American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act

112th Congress · introduced 2012-06-19 · Energy · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-06-19 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act

Plain summary

American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to promulgate regulations to implement and enforce federal combined efficiency and renewable electricity standard. Requires each retail electric supplier to submit to FERC, annually, an amount of federal renewable electricity credits and demonstrated total annual electricity savings for the previous year that, in the aggregate, is equal to the supplier's annual combined target for that year as established by this Act (compliance obligation). Requires each supplier to submit credits equal to at least three quarters of such target. Requires FERC, upon a request from a state's governor, to increase, to no more than half, the proportion of the annual combined targets for suppliers located within such state that may be met through submission of demonstrated total annual electricity savings. Requires a supplier's target to be equal to the product of the supplier's base amount (electricity sold) for the year and a specified annual percentage for that year, which increases from 8% for 2014 to 50% for 2035 through 2040. Sets forth provisions governing the issuance, tracking, verification, trading, banking, and retirement of federal renewable electricity credits. Requires FERC to: (1) prescribe standards and protocols for defining and measuring electricity savings and total annual electricity savings that can be counted toward a compliance obligation, (2) establish procedures and standards requiring third-party verification of reported electricity savings, and (3) establish requirements governing the submission of reports to demonstrate the total annual electricity savings achieved by a retail electric supplier within the relevant year. Allows a retail electric supplier to: (1) use electricity savings transferred from other specified entities to meet its compliance obligation, and (2) submit, in lieu of each federal renewable electricity credit or megawatt hour of demonstrated total annual electricity electricity savings that would otherwise be due, an alternative compliance payment of $50 to the state or states in which such supplier sells electric energy. Requires states to use such payments for: (1) deploying technologies that generate electricity from renewable resources, or (2) implementing cost-effective energy efficiency programs to achieve electricity savings. Prescribes penalties for noncompliance with, or violations of, this Act. Terminates this Act on December 31, 2041. Authorizes states to set the rates for a sale of electric energy by a facility generating electric energy from renewable energy sources pursuant to a state-approved production incentive program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Peter Welch (D-VT)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7] reported raising $6.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr5967.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr5967 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112