[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4995 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4995

   To require the acquisition of intermittent escalators by Federal 
                               agencies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2004

Ms. Slaughter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the acquisition of intermittent escalators by Federal 
                               agencies.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Energy Efficiency Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) escalators move more people in the United States than 
        airplanes;
            (2) there are 30,000 escalators in the United States, with 
        people using escalators 90,000,000,000 times per year;
            (3) the national energy use of escalators is estimated at 
        2,600,000,000 kilowatt hours per year;
            (4) the energy use of escalators per year is equal to 
        powering 375,000 houses, or 45,000,000 60-watt light bulbs;
            (5) if the escalators are in continuous operation, the 
        estimated cost to the country for this energy usage is 
        $260,000,000 per year;
            (6) the European escalator safety code allows the use of 
        intermittent escalators, which run only when a passenger rides 
        the escalator;
            (7) intermittent escalator models and other energy 
        efficient motors can increase the country's energy savings for 
        escalators by 40 to 50 percent; and
            (8) to reduce the energy use of escalators, escalators in 
        Federal buildings should use the intermittent escalator 
        technology.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENT.

    Section 543 of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 
U.S.C. 8253) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(e) Intermittent Escalators.--
            ``(1) Requirement.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        any escalator acquired for installation in a Federal building 
        shall be an intermittent escalator.
            ``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply at a 
        location outside the United States where the Federal agency 
        determines that to acquire an intermittent escalator would 
        require substantially greater cost to the Government over the 
        life of the escalator.
            ``(3) Additional energy conservation measures.--In addition 
        to complying with paragraph (1), Federal agencies shall 
        incorporate other escalator energy conservation measures, as 
        appropriate.
            ``(4) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
        term `intermittent escalator' means an escalator that remains 
        in a stationary position until it automatically operates at the 
        approach of a passenger, returning to a stationary position 
        after the passenger completes passage.''.
                                 <all>