[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4145-S4146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Pryor, Mrs. Lincoln, and Mr. 
        Brown of Massachusetts):
  S. 3396. A bill to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to 
establish within the Department of Energy a Supply Star program to 
identify and promote practices, companies, and products that use highly 
efficient supply chains in a manner that conserves energy, water, and 
other resources; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Supply Star 
Act of 2010 to drive widespread improvements in supply chain energy 
efficiency.
  Companies today are facing pressure on many fronts--from customers, 
stockholders, business partners, and regulators--to improve their 
energy performance in hopes of maximizing profit, minimizing 
environmental impact, and shielding themselves against the price 
volatility of fuels. Nearly 90 percent of a company's energy use can 
come from its supply chains, making supply chain energy efficiency--
encompassing raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, transport, use, 
and disposal of goods--of significant importance in the transition to a 
more energy efficient marketplace.
  For these reasons, many: corporations are examining supply chain 
efficiency, not only in hopes of being better corporate citizens, but 
because it makes good business sense. Decreasing energy use in the 
supply chain can lead to significant cost reductions and increase 
competitiveness. However, these efforts face hurdles--especially in 
small companies--that limit their widespread implementation. Earlier 
this year, I attended the MIT Energy Conference in Boston, where these 
hurdles were discussed in some detail by an expert panel. The hurdles 
include a lack of information and analysis tools for important parts of 
far-flung supply chains, which often lie far upstream or downstream, 
and therefore out of sight, of a particular firm, as well as a lack of 
leverage with which to rive global suppliers toward more efficient 
practices. Overcoming these challenges requires significant resources 
and access to global information that is often not available to any one 
single firm. I was persuaded that efforts to address these challenges 
would have significant benefit to the country.
  The Supply Star Act of 2010 would establish a Supply Star Program 
within the Department of Energy that builds on the Energy Star Program, 
as well as existing best practices in industry and the U.S. and 
international research communities to give companies access to the 
resources and information they need to successfully drive supply chain 
efficiency improvements.
  The Supply Star Program would provide all companies, particularly 
small and medium sized businesses, with financing, technical support, 
training, and sector-wide networks to help significantly improve their 
supply chain efficiency. The program would also provide public 
recognition to those businesses that achieve the highest supply chain 
efficiency standards, rewarding them with a tangible and credible tool 
to use in external communications about all of their good work and 
giving consumers and businesses an easy way of seeking out good actors 
as they make purchasing decisions.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill and work to 
improve the energy efficiency of our economy.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3396

       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 ``Supply Star Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. SUPPLY STAR.

       The Energy Policy and Conservation Act is amended by 
     inserting after section 324A (42 U.S.C. 6294a) the following:

     ``SEC. 324B. SUPPLY STAR PROGRAM.

       ``(a) In General.--There is established within the 
     Department of Energy a Supply Star program to identify and 
     promote practices, companies, and, as appropriate, products 
     that use highly efficient supply chains in a manner that 
     conserves energy, water, and other resources.
       ``(b) Coordination.--In carrying out the program described 
     in subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
       ``(1) consult with other appropriate agencies; and
       ``(2) coordinate efforts with the Energy Star program 
     established under section 324A.
       ``(c) Duties.--In carrying out the Supply Star program 
     described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
       ``(1) promote practices, companies, and, as appropriate, 
     products that comply with the Supply Star program as the 
     preferred practices, companies, and products in the 
     marketplace for maximizing supply chain efficiency;
       ``(2) work to enhance industry and public awareness of the 
     Supply Star program;
       ``(3) collect and disseminate data on supply chain energy 
     resource consumption;
       ``(4) develop and disseminate metrics, processes, and 
     analytical tools (including software) for evaluating supply 
     chain energy resource use;
       ``(5) develop guidance at the sector level for improving 
     supply chain efficiency;
       ``(6) work with domestic and international organizations to 
     harmonize approaches to analyzing supply chain efficiency, 
     including the development of a consistent set of tools, 
     templates, calculators, and databases; and
       ``(7) work with industry, including small businesses, to 
     improve supply chain efficiency through activities that 
     include--
       ``(A) developing and sharing best practices; and
       ``(B) providing opportunities to benchmark supply chain 
     efficiency.

[[Page S4146]]

       ``(d) Evaluation.--In any evaluation of supply chain 
     efficiency carried out by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
     consider energy and resource use throughout the entire 
     lifecycle of a product, including production, transport, 
     packaging, use, and disposal.
       ``(e) Grants and Incentives.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may award grants or other 
     forms of incentives on a competitive basis to eligible 
     entities, as determined by the Secretary, for the purposes 
     of--
       ``(A) studying supply chain energy resource efficiency; and
       ``(B) demonstrating and achieving reductions in the energy 
     resource consumption of commercial products through changes 
     and improvements to the production supply and distribution 
     chain of the products.
       ``(2) Use of information.--Any information or data 
     generated as a result of the grants or incentives described 
     in paragraph (1) shall be used to inform the development of 
     the Supply Star Program.
       ``(f) Training.--The Secretary shall use funds to support 
     professional training programs to develop and communicate 
     methods, practices, and tools for improving supply chain 
     efficiency.
       ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such 
     sums as are necessary.''.
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