[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 140 (Thursday, August 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5266-S5267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO NEAL ELLIOTT

 Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to salute Neal 
Elliott for his many years of dedicated service and forward-looking 
leadership at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 
ACEEE. Neal will soon retire from his role as senior director for 
research, the capstone to a distinguished career at ACEEE that began in 
1993. An internationally recognized expert on energy efficiency, he has 
helped slash energy waste in the United States. Neal leaves a legacy 
worthy of our praise and gratitude.
  ACEEE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that researches and 
advances energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies and 
behaviors as a way to strengthen the economy, reduce pollution, protect 
public health, and address climate change. Since its establishment in 
1980, ACEEE has helped to mold U.S. policies that have cut domestic 
energy use in half relative to the size of the U.S. economy and 
delivered more than $2,000 in annual savings per individual.

[[Page S5267]]

  Neal has been instrumental in that success. He has helped to grow not 
only ACEEE as an organization, which has more than tripled in size 
since his arrival, but also the field of energy efficiency. He oversees 
ACEEE's overall research, which includes dozens of reports, fact 
sheets, and topic briefs each year. He has spearheaded its work on 
industrial, agricultural, and rural issues, including on such topics as 
combined heat and power--CHP--electric motor systems, smart energy 
management, and industrial decarbonization. Neal helped coin the term 
``intelligent efficiency'' to reflect the growing need to incorporate 
the Internet of Things, connected systems, and big data into energy-
saving efforts. He was also a key player in the design of the rural 
energy programs in the 2002 farm bill that expanded into the Rural 
Energy for America Program in the 2008 farm bill. An expert on energy 
efficiency policies and programs, he has pushed to overcome market 
barriers to integrating CHP and distributed energy resources into a 
cleaner, intelligent power grid. He holds six patents in thermal 
storage and produce processing, has written dozens of articles and 
reports, and is a frequent speaker at domestic and international 
conferences.
  Just as important, Neal has played a vital, avuncular role in 
expanding the energy efficiency community. He is adept at bringing 
people together and forging effective partnerships. With a doctorate 
degree in engineering from Duke University, where he previously taught, 
he has mentored and encouraged countless young professionals. He is 
passionate about energy efficiency, which he sees as a critical tool 
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating climate change, and 
securing a more hopeful tomorrow for future generations.
  Neal has been a stalwart friend to me and my staff. I am thankful for 
his leadership and ACEEE's support for my proposals over the years. On 
behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I ask my colleagues and all 
Americans to join me in thanking Neal Elliott for his years of service 
and wishing him all the best in the years ahead.

                          ____________________