[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2620 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2620

To provide for the establishment of an Office of High-Performance Green 
                   Buildings, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 8, 2004

  Mr. Jeffords (for himself, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Reid, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
    Carper, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Leahy, and Mrs. Clinton) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the establishment of an Office of High-Performance Green 
                   Buildings, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``High-Performance 
Green Buildings Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
          TITLE I--OFFICE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDINGS

Sec. 101. Oversight.
Sec. 102. Office of High-Performance Green Buildings.
Sec. 103. Interagency Steering Committee.
Sec. 104. Public outreach.
Sec. 105. Research and development.
Sec. 106. Budget and life-cycle costing.
Sec. 107. Authorization of appropriations.
               TITLE II--HEALTHY HIGH-PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS

Sec. 201. Grants for schools.
Sec. 202. Federal guidelines for siting of school facilities.
Sec. 203. Education research program.
Sec. 204. Authorization of appropriations.
              TITLE III--STRENGTHENING FEDERAL LEADERSHIP

Sec. 301. General Accounting Office.
                    TITLE IV--DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

Sec. 401. Coordination of goals.
Sec. 402. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) buildings have profound impacts on the environment, 
        energy use, and health of individuals, and numerous studies 
        suggest that building environments affect worker productivity;
            (2) buildings in the United States consume 37 percent of 
        the energy, 68 percent of the electricity, and 12 percent of 
        the potable water used in the United States, and overall 
        construction of buildings (including construction of related 
        infrastructure) consumes 60 percent of all raw materials used 
        in the economy of the United States (excluding materials used 
        for food or fuel);
            (3) in the United States, buildings generate--
                    (A) 40 percent of the nonindustrial waste stream;
                    (B) 31 percent of the mercury in municipal solid 
                waste; and
                    (C) 35 percent of the carbon dioxide (the primary 
                greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49 
                percent of the sulfur dioxide, and 25 percent of the 
                nitrogen oxides found in the air;
            (4) buildings contribute to the ``heat island effect'' by 
        eliminating vegetative cover and using paving and roofing 
        materials that absorb heat and raise ambient temperatures, 
        accelerating the reaction that forms ground-level ozone;
            (5) according to the Environmental Protection Agency, on 
        average, people in the United States spend approximately 90 
        percent of their time indoors, where the concentration of 
        pollutants may be 2 to 5 times and, in some cases, 100 times, 
        higher than pollution concentrations in outdoor air;
            (6) the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental 
        Protection Agency have connected poor indoor air quality to 
        significantly elevated rates of mortality;
            (7) health impacts from building materials, such as 
        adhesives, paints, carpeting, and pressed-wood products, which 
        may emit pollutants such as formaldehyde or other volatile 
        organic compounds, are still uncertain but are believed to be 
        potentially significant;
            (8) according to the Building Owners and Managers 
        Association, because costs relating to employees, at $130 per 
        square foot annually (including health insurance costs), are by 
        far the highest business costs of a building, as opposed to 
        total energy costs at $1.81 per square foot, measures to 
        improve the indoor air quality of a building can be an 
        important investment in reducing long-term employee costs;
            (9) the use of energy efficient systems and alternative 
        sources of energy--
                    (A) reduces building costs; and
                    (B) improves the security of the United States by 
                ensuring continuing operations despite any potential 
                interruptions in the primary energy supply of the 
                United States as a result of terrorism or other 
                disruptions of the electricity grid;
            (10) by integrating issues relating to natural resource 
        use, human health, materials use, transportation needs, and 
        other concerns into planning the life cycle of a building, 
        architects, designers, and developers can construct buildings 
        that--
                    (A) are healthier for occupants;
                    (B) reduce environmental impacts; and
                    (C) are less wasteful of resources;
            (11) a well-designed high-performance green building can be 
        less expensive to build and operate throughout the lifetime of 
        the building than a building that is not a high-performance 
        green building;
            (12) in 2003, in the document entitled ``The Federal 
        Commitment to Green Building: Experiences and Expectations'', 
        the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive found that 
        ``[t]here is a mixture of diverse Federal green building 
        mandates in law, regulation, and Executive Orders, but not one 
        definitive, clear, and unified policy statement on 
        environmental design. Many within the Federal government are 
        working on green buildings, but additional coordination and 
        integration are needed.'';
            (13) a central coordinating Federal authority for green 
        buildings would increase efficiency of, improve communication 
        between, and reduce duplication within green building programs; 
        and
            (14) the General Services Administration, as the largest 
        civilian landlord in the United States, managing more than 
        8,300 buildings owned or leased by the United States, is the 
        appropriate agency to provide Federal agency coordination of 
        green building programs.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of General Services.
            (2) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the steering 
        committee established under section 103(a).
            (3) High-performance green building.--The term ``high-
        performance green building'' means a building the life cycle of 
        which--
                    (A) increases the efficiency with which the 
                building--
                            (i) reduces energy, water, and material 
                        resource use;
                            (ii) improves indoor environmental quality, 
                        reduces indoor pollution, improves thermal 
                        comfort, and improves lighting and noise 
                        environments that affect occupant health and 
                        productivity;
                            (iii) reduces negative impacts on the 
                        environment throughout the life cycle of the 
                        building, including air and water pollution and 
                        waste generation;
                            (iv) increases the use of environmentally 
                        preferable products, including biobased, 
                        recycled content, and nontoxic products with 
                        lower life-cycle impacts;
                            (v) reduces the negative impacts of 
                        emissions under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        7401 et seq.);
                            (vi) integrates systems in the building; 
                        and
                            (vii) reduces the environmental impacts of 
                        transportation through building location and 
                        site design that support a full range of 
                        transportation choices for users of the 
                        building;
                    (B) considers indoor and outdoor impacts of the 
                building on human health and the environment, 
                including--
                            (i) improvements in worker productivity;
                            (ii) the life-cycle impacts of building 
                        materials and operations; and
                            (iii) other factors that the Office 
                        considers to be appropriate.
            (4) High-performance school.--The term ``high-performance 
        school'' has the meaning given the term ``healthy, high-
        performance school building'' in section 5586 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7277e).
            (5) Life cycle.--The term ``life cycle'', with respect to a 
        high-performance green building, means all stages of the useful 
        life of the high-performance green building (including 
        components, equipment, systems, and controls of the building) 
        beginning at conception of a green building project and 
        continuing through siting, design, construction, landscaping, 
        commissioning, operation, maintenance, renovation, 
        deconstruction, and removal of the green building.
            (6) Life cycle assessment.--The term ``life cycle 
        assessment'' means a comprehensive system approach for 
        measuring the environmental performance of a product or service 
that includes an analysis of the environmental impacts of--
                    (A) each stage in the life of the product or 
                service (including acquisition of raw materials, 
                product manufacture, transportation, installation, 
                operation and maintenance, and waste management); and
                    (B) each component of the product or service.
            (7) Life-cycle costing.--The term ``life-cycle costing'', 
        with respect to a high-performance green building, means an 
        analysis of economic costs of impacts and choices made 
        regarding materials used and activities carried out with 
        respect to the life cycle of the high-performance green 
        building.
            (8) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (9) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of High-
        Performance Green Buildings established under section 102(a).

          TITLE I--OFFICE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDINGS

SEC. 101. OVERSIGHT.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish within the 
General Services Administration, and appoint an appropriate individual 
to, a position in the career-reserved Senior Executive service to--
            (1) establish and oversee the Office of High-Performance 
        Green Buildings in accordance with section 102; and
            (2) carry out other duties as required under this Act.
    (b) Compensation.--The compensation of the individual appointed 
under subsection (a) shall not exceed the maximum rate of basic pay for 
the Senior Executive Service under section 5382 of title 5, United 
States Code, including any applicable locality-based comparability 
payment that may be authorized under section 5304(h)(2)(C) of that 
title.

SEC. 102. OFFICE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDINGS.

    (a) Establishment.--The individual appointed under section 101(a), 
in partnership with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency, the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, the 
Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, and heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall establish 
within the General Services Administration an Office of High-
Performance Green Buildings.
    (b) Duties.--The Office shall--
            (1) ensure full coordination and collaboration with all 
        relevant agencies;
            (2) establish a senior-level Federal interagency steering 
        committee in accordance with section 103;
            (3) provide information through--
                    (A) outreach;
                    (B) education;
                    (C) the provision of technical assistance; and
                    (D) the development of a national high-performance 
                green building clearinghouse in accordance with section 
                104;
            (4) provide for research and development relating to high-
        performance green building initiatives under section 105(a);
            (5) in partnership with the Comptroller General, review and 
        analyze budget and life-cycle costing issues in accordance with 
        section 106;
            (6) complete and submit a report in accordance with 
        subsection (c); and
            (7) carry out implementation plans described in subsection 
        (d).
    (c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and biennially thereafter, the Office shall submit to 
Congress and the Comptroller General a report that--
            (1) describes the status of the implementation of programs 
        under this Act and other Federal programs in effect as of the 
        date of the report, including--
                    (A) the extent to which the programs are being 
                carried out in accordance with this Act; and
                    (B) the status of funding requests and 
                appropriations for those programs;
            (2) identifies steps within the planning, budgeting, and 
        construction process of Federal facilities that inhibit new and 
        existing Federal facilities from becoming high-performance 
        green buildings, as measured by--
                    (A) a silver rating, as defined by the Leadership 
                in Energy and Environmental Design Building Rating 
                System standard established by the United States Green 
                Building Council; or
                    (B) an improved or higher rating standard as 
                identified, and reassessed biannually, by the 
                Committee;
            (3) identifies inconsistency of Federal agencies with 
        Federal law in product acquisition guidelines and high-
        performance product guidelines;
            (4) recommends language for uniform standards for use by 
        Federal agencies in environmentally responsible acquisition; 
        and
            (5) includes, for the 2-year period covered by the report, 
        recommendations to address each of the matters, and a plan and 
        deadline for implementation of each of the recommendations, 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (4).
    (d) Implementation Plan.--The Office, in consultation with the 
Comptroller General, shall carry out each plan for implementation of 
recommendations under subsection (c)(5).

SEC. 103. INTERAGENCY STEERING COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Office shall establish within the Office a 
steering committee.
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall be composed of representatives 
of, at a minimum--
            (1) each agency referred to in section 102(a);
            (2) State and local governments;
            (3) nongovernmental organizations, including the United 
        States Green Building Council, the American Council for an 
        Energy-Efficient Economy, and the Rocky Mountain Institute;
            (4) building design, development, and finance sectors in 
        the private sector; and
            (5) building owners, developers, and equipment 
        manufacturers, including renewable, control, combined heat and 
        power, and other relevant technologies, as determined by the 
        Office.
    (c) Duties.--The Committee shall--
            (1) assess Federal activities and compliance with Federal 
        law applicable to high-performance green buildings;
            (2) make recommendations for expansion of existing efforts 
        and development of new efforts to support activities relating 
        to the life cycles of high-performance green buildings by the 
        Federal Government, including consideration of the benefits to 
        national security and implementation of the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.);
            (3) evaluate current high-performance green building 
        standards and recommend improved, higher, or supplemental 
        rating standards, as necessary, that are consistent with the 
        responsibilities of the Federal Government under this Act and 
        other applicable law; and
            (4) provide to the individual appointed under section 
        101(a) such recommendations relating to Federal activities 
        carried out under sections 104 through 106 as are agreed to by 
        a majority of the members of the Committee.

SEC. 104. PUBLIC OUTREACH.

    (a) Establishment.--The Office, in close coordination with Federal 
agencies and departments that perform related functions, shall carry 
out public outreach--
            (1) to inform individuals and entities in the public 
        sector, including the Federal Government, of the information 
        and services available through the Office; and
            (2) to determine how to most effectively deliver that 
        information to the individuals and entities.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out this section, the Office, in close 
cooperation with Federal agencies and departments that perform related 
functions, shall--
            (1) establish and maintain a national high-performance 
        green building clearinghouse on the Internet that--
                    (A) coordinates and enhances existing similar 
                efforts; and
                    (B) provides information relating to high-
                performance green buildings, including--
                            (i) information on, and hyperlinks to 
                        Internet sites that describe, the activities of 
                        the Federal Government;
                            (ii) hyperlinks to Internet sites relating 
                        to--
                                    (I) State and local governments;
                                    (II) the private sector; and
                                    (III) international activities; and
                            (iii) information on the exposure of 
                        children to environmental hazards in school 
                        facilities, as provided by the Administrator of 
                        the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) develop clear guidance and educational materials for 
        use by Federal agencies in implementing high-performance green 
        building practices;
            (3) develop and conduct training sessions with budget 
        specialists and contracting personnel from Federal agencies and 
        budget examiners to apply life-cycle cost criteria to actual 
        projects;
            (4) provide technical assistance on methods of using tools 
        and resources to make more cost-effective, health protective, 
        and environmentally beneficial decisions for constructing high-
        performance green buildings;
            (5) assist all branches of government at the Federal, 
        State, and local levels, and any other interested entity, by 
        providing information on relevant application processes for 
        certifying a high-performance green building, including 
        certification and commissioning;
            (6) assist interested persons, communities, businesses, and 
        branches of government with technical information, technical 
        assistance, market research, or other forms of assistance, 
        information, or advice that would be useful in planning and 
        constructing high-performance green buildings, particularly 
        with respect to tools available to conduct life-cycle cost 
        assessment;
            (7) provide technical training and guidance on high-
        performance green buildings; and
            (8) obtain such information from other Federal offices, 
        agencies and departments as is necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 105. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--The Office shall carry out research and 
development--
            (1) to survey and coordinate existing research and studies;
            (2) to recommend new areas for research; and
            (3) to promote the development and dissemination of high 
        performance green building tools.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out this section, the Office shall--
            (1) ensure interagency coordination of relevant research;
            (2) develop and direct a Federal high-performance green 
        building research plan that identifies information needs and 
        research that should be addressed and provides measurement 
        tools--
                    (A) to quantify the relationships between human 
                health and occupant productivity and each of--
                            (i) pollutant emissions from materials and 
                        products in the building;
                            (ii) natural day lighting;
                            (iii) ventilation choices and technologies;
                            (iv) heating and cooling choices and 
                        technologies;
                            (v) moisture control and mold;
                            (vi) maintenance, cleaning, and pest 
                        control activities;
                            (vii) acoustics; and
                            (viii) other issues relating to the health, 
                        comfort, productivity, and performance of 
                        occupants of the building;
                    (B) to monitor and assess the life-cycle 
                performance of public facilities (including 
                demonstration projects) built as high-performance green 
                buildings, including through consideration of the 
                report required under section 401(b)(1)(D); and
                    (C) to quantify, review, and standardize techniques 
                for use in performing life cycle assessments;
            (3) assist the budget and life-cycle costing functions of 
        the Office under section 106 in the development and 
        implementation of performance-based standards and life-cycle 
        cost measures, including the development of performance measure 
        tools and software for use by Federal agencies and other 
        interested entities; and
            (4) support other research initiatives determined by the 
        Office to contribute to mainstreaming of high-performance 
        planning, design, construction, and operation and management of 
        buildings.

SEC. 106. BUDGET AND LIFE-CYCLE COSTING.

    (a) Establishment.--The Office, in coordination with the Office of 
Management and Budget and relevant agencies, shall carry out budget and 
life-cycle costing for green buildings.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out this section, the Office shall--
            (1) consult, as necessary, the report of the Office of the 
        Federal Environmental Executive entitled ``The Federal 
        Commitment to Buildings: Experiences and Expectations'' and 
        dated September 2003;
            (2) be responsible for--
                    (A) examining policy of the Office of Management 
                and Budget relating to life-cycle costing for Federal 
                capital investments;
                    (B) assisting in the development of clear guidance 
                and implementation of life-cycle cost policy with 
                budget offices of other Federal agencies by 
establishing a consistent standard of life-cycle cost practices for 
Federal agencies;
                    (C) identifying tools that could support the use of 
                life-cycle costing to assist sound Federal budget 
                decisionmaking; and
                    (D) examining--
                            (i) the practicability of linking high 
                        performance green building life cycle stages 
                        with Federal budgets;
                            (ii) the effect that such a link would have 
                        in reducing barriers to the construction of 
                        high-performance green buildings and renovation 
                        of existing buildings; and
                            (iii) means by which to incorporate the 
                        short-term and long-term cost savings that 
                        accrue from high-performance green buildings.

SEC. 107. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2010.

               TITLE II--HEALTHY HIGH-PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS

SEC. 201. GRANTS FOR SCHOOLS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency may provide grants to State educational agencies and local 
educational agencies for use in--
            (1) providing intensive technical assistance for and 
        assisting the implementation of the Tools for Schools Program 
        of the Environmental Protection Agency; and
            (2) development of State-level school environmental quality 
        plans, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, 
        that may include--
                    (A) standards for school building design, 
                construction, and renovation;
                    (B) identification of ongoing school building 
                environmental problems in the State;
                    (C) proposals for the systematic improvement 
                (including benchmarks and timelines) of environmental 
                conditions in schools throughout the State, including 
                with respect to--
                            (i) school building siting, construction, 
                        and maintenance;
                            (ii) indoor air quality;
                            (iii) pest control;
                            (iv) radon contamination;
                            (v) lead contamination;
                            (vi) environmentally preferable purchasing 
                        of products for instruction and maintenance;
                            (vii) hazard identification and 
                        remediation; and
                            (viii) maximization of transportation 
                        choices for students, staff, and other members 
                        of the community; and
                    (D) recommendations for improvements in the 
                capacity of the State to track child and adult health 
                complaints relating to schools.
    (b) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a 
        project or activity carried out using funds from a grant under 
        subsection (a) shall not exceed 90 percent.
            (2) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost 
        of a project or activity carried out using funds from a grant 
        under subsection (a) may be provided in the form of cash or in-
        kind goods and services, including goods and services used to 
        create prototypical designs.
    (c) Grant Priority.--
            (1) In general.--In providing grants under this section for 
        use in carrying out the program referred to in subsection 
        (a)(1), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency shall give priority to school districts that have a 
        demonstrated need for environmental improvement.
            (2) Responsibility of school districts and state 
        educational agencies.--
                    (A) School districts.--Not later than 2 years after 
                the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 
                thereafter, each school district that receives funds 
                from the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
                Agency to carry out a program described in subsection 
                (a) shall submit to the State educational agency with 
                jurisdiction over the school district a report that 
                includes--
                            (i) a list of schools in the districts 
                        that, as of the date of the report, have 
                        accepted funds or other assistance from the 
                        Environmental Protection Agency for use in 
                        carrying out this section; and
                            (ii) an evaluation of the impact of the 
                        funds, including--
                                    (I) general data regarding measures 
                                of student health and attendance rates 
                                before and after the intervention; and
                                    (II) descriptions of toxic or 
                                hazardous cleaning, maintenance, or 
                                instructional products eliminated or 
                                reduced in use as part of the promotion 
                                or remediation of the indoor air 
                                quality of schools within the school 
                                district; and
                            (iii) basic information on the potential 
                        influence of other factors (such as the 
                        installation of carpet and HVAC systems and 
                        similar activities) on air quality.
                    (B) State educational agency reports.--Not later 
                than 180 days after the date on which each State 
                educational agency has received the annual reports 
                under subparagraph (A) from all participating school 
                districts, the State educational agency shall submit to 
                the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
                Agency and Congress a consolidated report of all 
                information received from the school districts.

SEC. 202. FEDERAL GUIDELINES FOR SITING OF SCHOOL FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Using as a model guidelines such as those of the 
``Child Proofing Our Communities'' School Siting Committee of the State 
of California, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
shall develop school site acquisition guidelines.
    (b) Vulnerability.--The guidelines should contain an analysis of 
means by which to account for the special vulnerability of children to 
chemical exposures in any case in which the potential for contamination 
at a potential school site is assessed.
    (c) Accessibility.--The guidelines shall include an analysis of 
means by which to maximize transportation choices for students, staff, 
and other members of the community.

SEC. 203. EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in 
partnership with the Secretary of Education, shall carry out an 
education research program that--
            (1) describes the status and findings of Federal research 
        initiatives established under this Act and other Federal law 
        with respect to education, including relevant updates on trends 
        in the field, such as the impact of school facility 
        environments on--
                    (A) student and staff health, safety, and 
                productivity;
                    (B) students with disabilities or special needs; 
                and
                    (C) student learning capacity;
            (2) provides technical assistance on siting, design, 
        management, and operation of school facilities, including 
        facilities used by students with disabilities or special needs;
            (3) once the relevant metrics have been identified or 
        developed in accordance with section 105, quantifies the 
        relationships between--
                    (A) human health, occupant productivity, and 
                student performance; and
                    (B) with respect to school facilities, each of--
                            (i) pollutant emissions from materials and 
                        products;
                            (ii) natural day lighting;
                            (iii) ventilation choices and technologies;
                            (iv) heating and cooling choices and 
                        technologies;
                            (v) moisture control and mold;
                            (vi) maintenance, cleaning, and pest 
                        control activities;
                            (vii) acoustics; and
                            (viii) other issues relating to the health, 
                        comfort, productivity, and performance of 
                        occupants of the school facilities;
            (4) cooperates with federally funded pediatric 
        environmental health research centers to assist in on-site 
        school environmental investigations;
            (5) assists States and State entities in better 
        understanding and improving the environmental health of 
        children; and
            (6) provides to the Office a biennial report of all 
        activities carried out under this section.

SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 
$10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2010.

              TITLE III--STRENGTHENING FEDERAL LEADERSHIP

SEC. 301. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.

    (a) Restructuring of Capital Budgets.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of submission of the report under 102(c), the 
Comptroller General shall--
            (1) review the current budget process; and
            (2) develop and submit to Congress an implementation plan 
        for life-cycle costing that--
                    (A) identifies and incorporates the short-term and 
                long-term cost savings that accrue from high-
                performance green buildings; and
                    (B) includes recommendations for--
                            (i) restructuring of budgets to require the 
                        use of complete energy- and environmental-cost 
                        accounting;
                            (ii) the use of operations expenditures in 
                        budget-related decisions while simultaneously 
                        incorporating productivity and health measures 
                        (as those measures can be quantified by the 
                        Office, with the assistance of universities and 
                        national laboratories); and
                            (iii) means by which Federal agencies may 
                        be permitted to retain and reuse all identified 
                        savings accrued as a result of the use of high-
                        performance life cycle costing for future high-
                        performance green building initiatives.
    (b) Audits.--The Comptroller General may conduct periodic audits of 
a Federal project over the life of the project to inspect whether--
            (1) the design stage of high performance green building 
        measures were achieved; and
            (2) the high performance building data were collected and 
        reported to the Office.

                    TITLE IV--DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

SEC. 401. COORDINATION OF GOALS.

    (a) In General.--The Office shall establish guidelines for a 
demonstration project conducted as a public-private partnership to 
contribute to the research goals of the Office.
    (b) Projects.--In accordance with guidelines established by the 
Office under subsection (a) and the duties of the Office described in 
section 101(b), the individual appointed under section 101(a) shall 
carry out--
            (1) for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2008, a 
        demonstration project, in a Federal building selected by the 
        Office in accordance with the criteria described in subsection 
        (c)(1), that--
                    (A) provides for the evaluation and, as 
                practicable, use of the information obtained through 
                the conduct of projects and activities under this Act;
                    (B) requires at least 1 project or activity 
                referred to in subparagraph (A) to achieve a platinum 
                rating, as defined by the Leadership in Energy and 
                Environmental Design Building Rating System standard 
                established by the United States Green Building Council 
                (or equivalent rating), for each fiscal year; and
                    (C) requires the submission to the Office of an 
                annual report describing recommendations for the use of 
                information gathered as a result of programs carried 
                out under this Act; and
            (2) a demonstration project involving at least 4 
        universities, that, as determined by the Office in accordance 
        with subsection (c)(2), have appropriate research capability 
        and relevant projects to meet the goals of the demonstration 
        project established by the Office.
    (c) Criteria.--
            (1) Federal buildings.--With respect to the Federal 
        building at which a demonstration project under this section is 
        conducted, the Federal building shall--
                    (A) be an appropriate model for a project 
                involving--
                            (i) location and design that promote access 
                        to the Federal building through walking, 
                        biking, and mass transit;
                            (ii) construction or renovation to meet 
                        high indoor environmental criteria;
                            (iii) deployment, and assessment of 
                        effectiveness, of high performance 
                        technologies;
                            (iv) analysis of life cycles of all 
                        materials, components, and systems in the 
                        building; and
                            (v) assessment of beneficial impacts on 
                        public health and the health of individuals 
                        that enter or work in the building; and
                    (B) possess sufficient technological and 
                organizational adaptability.
            (2) Universities.--With respect to the 4 universities at 
        which a demonstration project under this section is conducted--
                    (A) the universities should be selected based on--
                            (i) successful and established public-
                        private research and development partnerships;
                            (ii) demonstrated capabilities to construct 
                        or renovate buildings that meet high indoor 
                        environmental qualities;
                            (iii) organizational flexibility;
                            (iv) technological adaptability;
                            (v) energy and environmental effectiveness 
                        throughout the life cycles of all materials, 
                        components, and systems deployed within the 
                        building; and
                            (vi) the demonstrated capacity of at least 
                        1 university to replicate lessons learned among 
                        nearby or sister universities, preferably by 
                        participation in groups or consortia that 
                        promote sustainability;
                    (B) each university shall be located in a different 
                climatic region of the United States, each of which 
                regions shall have, as determined by the Office--
                            (i) a hot, dry climate;
                            (ii) a hot, humid climate;
                            (iii) a cold climate; or
                            (iv) a mild climate;
                    (C) each university shall agree that the focuses of 
                the project shall be--
                            (i) the effectiveness of various high 
                        performance technologies in each of the 4 
                        climatic regions of the United States described 
                        in subparagraph (B);
                            (ii) the identification of the most 
                        effective ways to use high performance building 
                        and landscape technologies to engage and 
                        educate undergraduate and graduate students; 
                        and
                            (iii) quantifiable and nonquantifiable 
                        beneficial impacts on public health and worker 
                        and student performance.

SEC. 402. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Federal Demonstration Project.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the Federal demonstration project described 
in section 401(b)(1) $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2005 
through 2010.
    (b) University Demonstration Projects.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the university demonstration projects 
described in section 401(b)(2) $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal 
years 2005 through 2010.
                                 <all>