**The full E&C Energy Subcommittee hearing is available HERE**
**Rep. Kuster’s full remarks are available HERE**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee, participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Generating Equity: Deploying a Just and Clean Energy Future." The Subcommittee heard from energy sector experts about the current state of equity in the nation’s clean energy infrastructure and the steps Congress can take to support efforts to equitably build the clean energy economy of the future.

“As Congress works to help the country transition to net-zero carbon emissions, we must ensure that Americans in underserved communities and communities of color share in the benefits of this revolution,” said Rep. Kuster. “According to the Department of Energy, the average low-income family spends nearly 9% of their income on home energy bills – three times more than the national average. It is unacceptable that low-income Americans are forced to spend one out of every ten hard-earned dollars keeping the lights on and their homes warm.”

“We must do more to help Americans in need spend less money on their energy bills,” Rep. Kuster continued. “I’m proud that New Hampshire leads the nation in this effort, with public-private partnerships helping to reduce the cost of electricity itself by modernizing our energy infrastructure and utilizing renewable energy sources. We have the technology and resources to build a brighter, cleaner, more equitable energy future for all, and I look forward to working with local and national energy partners to make that potential a reality.”

Witnesses at today’s Subcommittee hearing included:

Subin DeVar

Director, Initiative for Energy Justice

Chandra Farley

Just Energy Director, Partnership for Southern Equity

Donnel Baird

Chief Executive Officer, BlocPower

Kiran Bhatraju

Chief Executive Officer, Arcadia Power

José L. Pérez

President and Chief Executive Officer, Hispanics in Energy

Louise Carter-King

Mayor, City of Gillette

A member of the House Energy and Commerce Energy 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, equitably. Last month, 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. In February of this year, 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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