Powering Productivity Act

This Act may be cited as the Powering Productivity Act.

The purpose of this Act is to improve the energy performance, transparency, and decision-making of the United States by modernizing how the United States measures and accounts for energy productivity and related impacts.

Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Task Force, shall publish a comprehensive baseline assessment of energy productivity in the United States, which shall, at a minimum—

(1) define a framework and methodology for measuring energy productivity as the relationship between energy inputs and the economic or societal value of the work performed by those inputs, at the national, regional, and sectoral levels;

(2) evaluate current energy productivity performance at the national, regional, and sectoral levels;

(3) identify barriers to improved energy productivity across economic sectors; and

(4) highlight opportunities for improvement through technology, policy, behavioral, or structural interventions.

Upon publication of the baseline assessment under subsection (a), and at least quarterly thereafter, the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration shall publish a report on energy productivity in the United States, to be known as the Energy Productivity Indicators Quarterly or Energy Productivity-IQ. Each Energy Productivity-IQ shall measure energy productivity using the same measures of economic output, by sector and nationally, as those used in the labor productivity estimates published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Productivity and Costs reports, or any successor publication that reports such estimates. The Administrator of the Energy Information Administration shall coordinate with the Secretary of Labor to align, to the extent practicable, the publication schedule of the Energy Productivity-IQ with the publication schedule of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Productivity and Costs reports, or any successor publication that reports estimates of labor productivity.

Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and every three years thereafter, the Secretary of Energy shall produce a Comprehensive Energy Productivity and Competitiveness Assessment using existing Federal modeling tools and data systems. The assessment shall—

(A) quantify the direct and indirect economic, environmental, health, and societal impacts of achieving accelerated energy productivity improvements, relative to a business-as-usual scenario, at the national, regional, and sectoral levels;

(B) analyze potential policy pathways to enhance competitiveness, reduce energy costs, increase resilience, and support job creation;

(C) evaluate how such improvements affect national and regional well-being, including reductions in pollution, energy costs, public health burdens, water use, and economic vulnerability;

(D) detail how improvements in energy productivity in the United States affect competitiveness in key economic sectors, including manufacturing, services, and other energy-intensive industries;

(E) evaluate risks associated with delayed action, including stranded asset exposure and competitiveness losses;

(F) include, as appropriate, recommendations for Federal policies, programs, and research priorities to support sustained energy productivity gains; and

(G) include, as appropriate, supporting data, modeling scenarios, investment implications, and additional information to support increased American competitiveness through improved energy productivity.

In carrying out each assessment under this subsection, the Secretary of Energy shall consider how lifecycle factors associated with energy production, delivery, and use affect energy productivity, system costs, resilience, and economic competitiveness, including through impacts on—

(A) water resources, including withdrawals, consumption, and water quality;

(B) public health outcomes, including exposure to pollution and associated health burdens;

(C) material use, supply chain constraints, and waste generation;

(D) emissions and other environmental impacts that materially affect economic or societal outcomes; and

(E) direct and indirect economic impacts, including effects on energy costs, productivity, employment, and regional competitiveness.

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall establish an advisory group, to be known as the Energy Productivity Task Force, which shall be led by the Secretary of Energy.

The Task Force shall include representatives from the following:

(A) The Department of Energy.

(B) The Department of Commerce.

(C) The Environmental Protection Agency.

(D) The Energy Information Administration.

(E) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(F) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(G) The United States Geological Survey.

(H) The Department of Health and Human Services.

(I) The Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In addition to the representatives from Federal agencies described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall appoint independent technical experts and stakeholders from industry, academia, and public-interest organizations, which shall consist of stakeholders that represent—

(A) the electric power sector;

(B) the renewable energy sector;

(C) the nonrenewable energy sector;

(D) consumer advocacy groups;

(E) energy-intensive industries;

(F) environmental and public interest advocacy organizations;

(G) the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine;

(H) academic- and National Laboratory-based researchers with expertise in—

(i) energy and economics;

(ii) climate and economics; or

(iii) environmental systems and economics; and

(I) any other sector or organization the Secretary of Energy determines relevant for the purposes of this Act.

Notwithstanding section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, the Task Force shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this section.

In this Act:

The term energy productivity means a measure of how efficiently an economy, region, or industry uses energy to generate economic value.

The term Task Force means the Energy Productivity Task Force established under section 4.