Senate kills bipartisan energy efficiency bill over Keystone pipeline amendment

Bipartisan legislation that focused on energy efficiency standards such as water heaters with smart meters, ways to reduce home utility bills, and cheaper heating and cooling systems for office buildings failed in the U.S. Senate earlier this month.

While the bill had broad support, the introduction of an amendment on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline poisoned the well.

Proposed by Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC) didn’t make it to a vote after the amendment was added to approve the Keystone pipeline extension ahead of the Obama Administration’s decision on whether to allow the pipeline to go forward.

As a result, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) refused to allow a vote on a Keystone pre-approval amendment to the bill, and the amendment’s supporters retaliated by blocking a vote on the main bill.

Many Democrats and climate activists oppose the Keystone pipeline. Portman reportedly called the bill’s failure “yet another disappointing example of Washington’s dysfunction.”

(http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-13/keystone-xl-the-zombie-pipeline-kills-bipartisan-energy-bill/)

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows.

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