PGMC urges energy conservation credits

Tax credits of 20 percent (up to $2,000 per home) were included in the energy bill (H.R. 4) enacted by the House of Representatives in August. Action has now shifted to the Senate, where the prospects this year are uncertain as the effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks have forced changes in the legislative agenda.

Since June, a task force of the Primary Glass Manufacturers Council (PGMC), led by PPG Industries and Guardian Industries, has been working to promote appreciation for the energy-saving benefits of advanced window products incorporating low-e glass. There appears to be strong support in the Congress for completing an energy bill. Since September 11, there is also an enhanced appreciation of the importance of energy conservation as part of a comprehensive national energy strategy. If Congress does not complete an energy bill before it adjourns this year, the task force will urge that work be resumed when Congress reconvenes early in 2002.

The PGMC believes that an energy bill is vital to our national security and that the energy-saving benefits of the glass industry’s products can play a key role in meeting conservation objectives.