Federal legislation that includes renewable portfolio and energy efficiency standards is still on the table, according to U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, (D-NV). Reid said August 31 that he is “confident” the bill introduced earlier this year by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) would be revived--even though it fizzled due to lack of support. Reid said two Senate Republicans, who he did not name, supported the standards. “These are proposals for the American people. They are not Democratic or Republican issues,” said Reid of the measure seeking to curb the country’s demand for fossil fuel imports. A carbon cap-and-trade market would not be included in the revived legislation expected to be taken up in a lame duck session because it “lacks traction,” the senator added. Reid made the announcement with Peter Darbee, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. chief executive officer. They focused on government strategies for promoting private investment in energy efficiency to create jobs and lessen fossil fuel dependence. They stressed the need for rules to drive private capital into energy efficiency investments. Darbee called for regulatory certainty at the federal level, including developing an energy policy roadmap. Energy efficiency retrofits create four times more jobs than those produced by coal-fired generation, according to the Center for American Progress. An August 31 report by the center concludes that retrofitting 40 percent of the country’s housing stock and commercial buildings would create 625,000 jobs sustained over 10 years, lead to $64 billion in cost savings for U.S. ratepayers, and spark $500 billion in new energy efficiency investments. “We believe that energy efficiency is energy,” said Bill Campbell, Energy RM chair, and report coauthor.