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| Overall Assessment |
Comment |
Score |
| Comprehensive |
Ameresco Inc provides an exceptionally detailed picture of its climate-related lobbying. It identifies the specific policy frameworks it works on, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Executive Order 14057 and the related Climate Smart Buildings Initiative, demonstrating that its engagement is anchored in clearly named federal measures. The company also sets out the channels it uses and whom it targets: it describes “legislative advocacy, written and oral testimony in regulatory dockets,” formal feedback to Treasury and the IRS on clean-energy tax guidance, and collaboration through industry bodies such as the American Clean Power Association, all directed at Congress, the Biden Administration, federal agencies, state and local governments, utilities and utility commissions, with federal lobbying expenditures publicly reported through U.S. House and Senate filings. Finally, Ameresco explains the concrete outcomes it seeks—advancing full implementation of the IIJA and IRA to unlock clean-energy funding and tax credits, using performance contracts so that federal buildings achieve a 50 % emissions cut by 2032, and expanding state-level incentive programmes for distributed generation and energy-efficiency investments—linking each objective to the relevant policy vehicle. Together these disclosures show a high degree of transparency across the policies lobbied, the mechanisms employed, and the specific results the company is pursuing.
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4
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| Overall Assessment |
Comment |
Score |
| Limited |
Ameresco discloses only limited elements of an internal process for managing its policy advocacy. It notes that “throughout all of our public policy work, ethics and integrity are paramount. We adhere to the highest standards and conduct several forms of training related to lobbying, including annual training and certification regarding our company’s Code,” which indicates at least one recurring compliance step tied to lobbying activities. The company also provides transparency on spending by stating that “Ameresco’s federal lobbying expenses for 2022 are publicly disclosed on quarterly reports filed with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and Secretary of the U.S. Senate pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act,” but these are statutory filings rather than a self-defined governance mechanism. While it outlines the substantive climate-related positions it advocates for—“Ameresco works closely… to advocate for policies that support clean energy deployment, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction”—the evidence does not describe how those positions are internally reviewed, who signs off on them, or how alignment with the company’s climate strategy is assured, nor does it mention oversight of indirect lobbying through industry associations. We found no disclosure of a board committee, executive officer, or formal procedure that evaluates or corrects misalignment between lobbying and climate goals. As such, the disclosure demonstrates only a basic training and compliance approach, without a clearly defined governance framework for climate lobbying alignment.
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1
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