House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s four-year effort to “Green the Capitol” is officially no-more, having been dumped into an existing energy-savings program on the Hill in a move that Republicans say will save more money, eliminate redundancy and promote collaboration. Continue reading after the jump.
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In response, some Democrats are crying foul, saying the move reflects the low priority that energy savings is for Republicans.
The House Chief Administrative Office announced Thursday that the Architect of the Capitol’s Office will take over the functions of the program that expanded House recycling and led to thousands of energy-efficient light bulbs being installed on the Hill.
“Saving energy saves money and consolidating our sustainability programs helps save taxpayer dollars by improving efficiencies and allows us to make smart and sound investments throughout the Capitol complex,” Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers said in a statement.
“This greatly improves our return on investment in congressional facilities by continuing to include sustainability in our long-range project planning,” he said.
But Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for the Democrats on the House Administration Committee, expressed little confidence in the architect’s sustainability efforts and said the move sends a “clear message” about the GOP-led House’s “lack of commitment to environmentally responsible policies.”
