[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7606 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7606
To study and accelerate the more productive use of energy resources
within the United States, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 20, 2026
Mr. Casten (for himself, Ms. Castor of Florida, and Mr. Cleaver)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To study and accelerate the more productive use of energy resources
within the United States, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Powering Productivity Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
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.
SEC. 3. ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENTS.
(a) National Energy Productivity Baseline.--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.
(b) Periodic Energy Productivity Indicators Quarterly Report.--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.
(c) Comprehensive Energy Productivity and Competitiveness
Assessment.--
(1) In general.--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.
(2) Consideration of lifecycle factors.--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.
SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY AND COST TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--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.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Federal agencies.--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.
(2) Independent experts.--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.
(c) Termination.--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.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Energy productivity.--The term ``energy productivity''
means a measure of how efficiently an economy, region, or
industry uses energy to generate economic value.
(1) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Energy
Productivity Task Force established under section 4.
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