**The full E&C Energy Subcommittee hearing is available HERE**
**Rep. Kuster’s full remarks are available HERE**
**Rep. Kuster is also a member of the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee**

Concord, N.H. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee, participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled, "The CLEAN Future Act: Powering a Resilient and Prosperous America.” The Subcommittee heard from power sector experts about the current state of the nation’s energy infrastructure and the steps Congress can take to expand access to reliable energy and build the clean energy economy of the future.

“Climate change poses an existential threat to the economy, our environment, and the wellbeing of New Hampshire, our nation, and the world,” said Rep. Kuster. “We must act swiftly and purposefully to curb carbon emissions and prevent climate change’s worst effects. In New Hampshire, public housing authorities have already started utilizing power purchase agreements to install solar panels to reduce electric bills and carbon emissions. But, these panels continue to be cost-prohibitive for many. By putting the U.S. on a viable pathway to increase access — financial and physical — to renewable energy sources, the CLEAN Future Act is a significant milestone in our effort to build the clean energy economy of the future.”

“The Clean Future Act also provides a historic investment to upgrade the resilience of our energy grid,” Rep. Kuster continued. “I’m particularly excited about the Clean Energy Microgrid Grant program, which would help communities around the country create microgrids, units that are able to insulate themselves during times of crisis from the broader grid. I will continue working on the Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee to advance America’s clean energy future and preserve our environment for generations to come.”

Witnesses at today’s Subcommittee hearing included:

Karen Wayland, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer, GridWise Alliance

Yvonne McIntyre

Director, Federal Electricity & Utility Policy, Natural Resources Defense Council

Alison Silverstein

Independent Energy Consultant

Eric Hofmann

President, Utility Workers of America Local 132, Utility Workers of America AFL-CIO

A member of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee and House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, Kuster is a leader in Congress in the effort to combat climate change, preserve the environment, and create the clean energy economy of the future. This week, Kuster led 39 colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden and Cabinet members urging the inclusion of funding to retrofit, rehabilitate, and remove dams in the next infrastructure package to help improve public safety, increase free-flowing rivers, expand low-carbon generation, and create jobs. Last month, Kuster helped advance and ultimately pass the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which permanently safeguards approximately 1.5 million acres of wilderness in the American West and adds over 1,200 miles of waterway into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS).

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