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Democratic

John “Jack” Reed

Jack Reed is a champion for middle-class families and a strong believer that all Americans should have the opportunity to build a better life.

Jack was born and raised in Cranston and grew up on Pontiac Avenue.  His father, Joe, was a World War II veteran and Cranston school janitor who worked his way up to become custodial supervisor of the city's school system.  His mother, Mary, was a homemaker who was unable to go to college herself, but made sure her three children studied hard and had the opportunity to pursue a higher education.  The Reed family benefited from the GI Bill – a program that helped countless veterans further their education and put a roof over their heads – and Jack’s parents instilled in him the importance of serving his country and giving back to his community.

ENERGY

Fighting for Energy Independence and Increasing Affordable Renewable Energy

In an effort to build a cleaner energy future and ensure Rhode Islanders have access to affordable, reliable energy, Senator Reed has delivered billions of dollars to help low-income families keep the heat on in the winter and invest in weatherization, energy efficiency, and energy conservation.

Senator Reed has supported efforts to safely and responsibly reduce America’s dependence on oil, coal, and other fossil fuels.  He helped jumpstart Rhode Island’s offshore wind industry, and staunchly defended Rhode Island’s coastline from offshore oil drilling.

Senator Reed also recognizes the importance of innovation in the shift away from fossil fuels.  Reed has long been a proponent of clean energy incentives and strong investments in renewable energy technologies – including battery storage – to meet this challenge.

KEY PRIORITIES & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Senator Reed is the leading Congressional champion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment or energy crisis assistance.
  • Reed spearheads the effort to fund the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which helps Rhode Islanders lower their utility bills and reduce Rhode Island’s carbon emissions.  He also helped write the Weatherization Enhancement and Local Energy Efficiency Investment and Accountability Act, which renewed and strengthened WAP.
  • Reed helped put Rhode Island on the map in the offshore wind industry.  He secured the first earmark for the Special Area Management Plan process that led to the construction of Rhode Island’s Block Island Wind Farm – the first offshore wind farm in America.
  • Each year, Reed delivers funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to develop next-generation, innovative energy technologies and support basic and applied scientific research in Rhode Island and across the nation.  This work strives to make America more competitive in clean energy and other modern technology endeavors.
  • To accelerate the development of next-generation energy storage, Senator Reed supported the bipartisan Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act, which will help align research efforts on energy storage technologies and support grid-scale energy storage research and development to improve the efficiency of the nation’s electric grid.