H.R. 7606

[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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