Energy bill needs help, Call today!

Today: June 8, 2009: Voting is Tomorrow!!!
The Tennessee Clean Energy Future Act, an initiative of the administration's Energy Task Force, needs our help. Please contact your House members and others who may be appropriate and urge them to vote for the bill without weakening amendments. The bill has passed the Senate comfortably but has run into trouble in the House.
Contact your House member: if you don't know them, go to http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/ and put in your address and it will bring up your house and senate rep. Email and call them. Tell them to vote for the bill and against the amendments that opt out counties for the state building codes.

Some house members oppose the energy code requirements, which call for International Residential Code (IRC) adoption statewide. It will be helpful to stress that a statewide code not only improves energy efficiency, but also sets the minimum level for the Health and Safety of Tennessee homes. I understand that some in the House are reluctant to impose this regulation on counties when in the past, they have always been encouraged to let the counties have a choice in whether or not to participate.
Many of our counties do NOT have any kind of building codes!! This will put minimum codes to all the counties and will protect many home buyers from buying/building houses that could be unsafe and energy 'hogs'! The extra cost of satisfying the codes will be made up quickly by savings on energy bills and if and when they sell, the house will bring considerably more. A no Brainer.