A long-suffering Senate efficiency bill picked up renewed resistance today as a leading conservative group warned Republicans that they would be given poor marks on an annual scorecard if they supported the measure.

The bill from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has few enemies and plenty of friends, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and an array of environmental and pro-efficiency groups. The bill has struggled to gain traction amid broader procedural disputes in the Senate, namely over the extent to which it can be a vehicle for other energy-policy amendments. It is expected to hit the floor early next week, although a deal to clear the way for its passage has not yet been reached (E&E Daily, May 2).

Heritage Action for America, the political arm of the eponymous foundation, is not a fan. It listed Shaheen-Portman as a "key vote," warning senators they will receive negative marks on its scorecard if they support the bill, which it paints as an inappropriate insertion of the federal government into the marketplace. The bill provides incentives for worker training, updates model voluntary building codes and directs the federal government to employ energy-saving strategies, among several other provisions (E&E Daily, Feb. 26).

"As Heritage notes, only the free-market has been proven to decrease costs and increase efficiency in energy production. The federal government's role in energy efficiency should be limited to providing information to consumers to make well-informed decisions," the group says. "This legislation allows the government to overstep its boundaries."

Senate Republicans have an average score of 68 percent on Heritage's scorecard; Utah's Mike Lee is the sole senator with a perfect score.

Portman outlined a conservative case for the bill, formally known as the "Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act" (ESIC), earlier today in a Forbes op-ed, arguing that it does not mandate anything, reduces the deficit and creates jobs.

"The provisions in ESIC will make a huge difference in energy use, helping our economy and making the U.S. more energy independent," Portman wrote. "In fact, when fully implemented, the provisions in ESIC will save the equivalent of taking eighty million homes off the grid by 2030, with cumulative energy savings of up to $100 billion."