Sponsors
The bill directs federal funds and technical help to help manufacturers cut energy use and emissions and strengthen local competitiveness, but it requires new federal spending and state/tribal cost‑sharing and may leave gaps or limits in who benefits due to approvals, caps, and administrative constraints.
Small manufacturers can receive federal grants for energy audits and implementation measures to lower energy and water bills and reduce operating expenses.
Manufacturers that adopt supported technologies (AI, electrification, CHP, emissions‑reducing measures) can cut facility greenhouse gas emissions and local pollution.
States, tribes, and approved energy agencies receive federal funding and technical assistance to run local programs that boost industrial competitiveness and support implementation.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending (about $100 million per year, FY2026–2030) with uncertain long‑term cost‑benefit for recipients and the broader economy.
States and Tribes may need to match or supplement federal funding in practice, which could strain state and tribal budgets or force tradeoffs with other priorities.
Program access and effectiveness depend on state plan approval and discretionary appropriations, leaving manufacturers in states without approved plans or low‑funded years with limited access.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes DOE to fund state and tribal programs that provide technical assistance, energy studies, and implementation support to improve manufacturers' energy, water, and resiliency performance, contingent on funding and approved plans.
Creates a voluntary federal program to help states and Indian Tribes support manufacturers in cutting energy and water use, reducing emissions, and boosting resiliency and competitiveness. The Department of Energy may provide financial assistance—when funds are appropriated and upon request—to state energy agencies or Tribes with approved energy conservation plans to fund technical assistance, energy studies, and implementation of recommended measures through qualified engineering firms. The law sets what these state/tribal "flex-tech" programs may cover (from detailed facility energy and emissions studies to purchasing and installing equipment and advanced technologies), requires monitoring and reporting of results, and ties all funding to available appropriations and an approved state plan; it does not appropriate specific money or impose mandatory requirements on states.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Paul Tonko · Last progress December 11, 2025