Energy usage claim makes our 2011 list of favorites

Sen. Rob Portman is co-sponsor of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, introduced in May, which aims to promote energy savings in residential and commercial buildings and industry through the use of energy-efficient technology, building codes and financial incentives.

Portman says the bipartisan measure will help the economy, among other benefits, by increasing productivity and creating jobs. In an article written for the Toledo Blade, the first-term Republican said the legislation will also save millions of tax dollars because “it will require the federal government — the largest energy user in the country — to adopt energy-saving techniques.”

That stirred the curiosity of PolitiFact Ohio, if not our skepticism. Is the federal government really the country’s biggest energy user? And — drum roll — how big is it?

PolitiFact Ohio checked out the senator’s claim and rated it True.

The item was selected as one of the favorites of the year by the editors who set the Truth-O-Meter ratings for PolitiFact Ohio.