[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3031 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3031

 To promote the construction of green buildings in the United States, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 2007

Mr. Inslee (for himself, Mr. Weiner, Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Grijalva) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
       Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 
 Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and Labor, Oversight and 
Government Reform, Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To promote the construction of green buildings in the United States, 
                        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.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Advanced Design in Energy for Living 
Efficiently Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) green building design practices have a positive effect 
        on the reduction of greenhouse gases, the health of the 
        environment, increases in productivity of workers, and improved 
        water supply for communities;
            (2) buildings account for 38 percent of carbon dioxide 
        emissions per year;
            (3) buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the 
        energy and 70 percent of the electricity in the United States 
        per year;
            (4) an upfront investment of 2 percent in green building 
        design, on average, results in life cycle savings of 20 percent 
        of the total operation costs of a building;
            (5) case studies show examples of a 2 to 16 percent 
        increase in productivity in buildings that incorporate green 
        building design;
            (6) students with the most daylight in their classrooms 
        progressed 20 percent faster on mathematics tests and 26 
        percent faster on reading tests in one year than those with the 
        least day lighting;
            (7) the development of a research agenda for green building 
        design must consider whole building performance, and such 
        development should be founded on achievable and measurable 
        performance goals;
            (8) the tools and knowledge are currently available to meet 
        the goals of this Act; and
            (9) green building design is a national priority, and can 
        reduce the long-term operating costs for individuals and 
        enhance their ability to repay the mortgage.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) the term ``green building'' means a building that uses 
        sustainable design principles to reduce the use of nonrenewable 
        resources, minimize environmental impact, and relate people 
        with the natural environment;
            (3) the term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); and
            (4) the term ``State'' means one of the several States, the 
        District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other 
        commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

SEC. 4. COORDINATING AGENCY.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall serve as the coordinating 
agency for Federal information on green building design and practices, 
including information regarding construction, use, and decommissioning 
of green buildings, and shall obtain from all Federal agencies any 
information relating thereto that is not protected from disclosure by 
law.
    (b) Availability of Information.--The Administrator, in 
consultation with the National Institute of Building Sciences, shall 
make the information obtained under subsection (a) readily available to 
the building industry and consumers.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING.

    (a) Public Education.--The Administrator, in coordination with the 
National Institute of Building Sciences and in conjunction with 
private-sector building-related entities, shall establish a program to 
create and distribute informational materials to increase the knowledge 
of the general public about green building design principles.
    (b) Green Building Training.--Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide for the 
establishment of criteria for appropriate education and training of 
architects, engineers, and developers in green building design and 
application.

SEC. 6. BLUE RIBBON PANEL.

    (a) Establishment.--The National Institute of Building Sciences 
shall establish a blue ribbon panel to provide independent advice and 
counsel to the Administrator on policy issues associated with the 
conservation of energy in residential, commercial, and Federal 
buildings, green building design systems, the health of the indoor 
environment, and reduction of water use and waste output.
    (b) Appointment.--The blue ribbon panel shall be appointed by the 
Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences. 
Appointees shall represent all sectors that are knowledgeable about or 
affected by green buildings, including architects, professional 
engineers, government officials, representatives of consumer 
organizations, representatives of construction labor organizations, 
product manufacturers, builders, housing management experts, and 
experts in building standards, codes, research, testing, and fire 
safety.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the blue ribbon panel shall report to Congress 
on the results of study to determine best practices for quantifying the 
information necessary to make informed property investment decisions, 
including with respect to buildings that meet carbon-neutral emission 
standards and use green building design practices.

SEC. 7. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the National Institute of Building Sciences shall report to Congress on 
the estimated amount of funding necessary for research and development 
on green building design in the United States. Such report shall 
include recommendations on further policies needed to promote green 
building design.

SEC. 8. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION STANDARDS.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the National Institute of Building Sciences 
shall establish standards for the construction of new commercial and 
residential buildings that will reduce carbon emissions, compared to 
emissions from similar buildings in 2003, by--
            (1) 40 percent by 2010; and
            (2) 70 percent by 2020.
    (b) Compliance.--
            (1) Requirement.--Effective 6 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, no State shall receive funding under 
        this Act unless it demonstrates to the satisfaction of the 
        Administrator that--
                    (A) the State (and all of the local jurisdictions 
                within the State) has--
                            (i) adopted the standards established under 
                        subsection (a); and
                            (ii) fully implemented such standards; or
                    (B) technical barriers exist that prevent such 
                adoption and implementation.
            (2) Supporting information.--In order to make a 
        demonstration to the Administrator under paragraph (1), a State 
        shall receive, and submit to the Administrator, reports from 
        all local jurisdictions in the State on how many building 
        permits were issued each year and how many of these permits met 
        the standards established under subsection (a).

SEC. 9. STUDY OF USE OF FHA ENERGY EFFICIENT MORTGAGE PROGRAM.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study of the program of the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development for energy efficient mortgages insured under title II of 
the National Housing Act, established and operated pursuant to section 
106 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12712 note) and 
expanded in 1995 pursuant to subsection (b) of such section, to 
determine--
            (1) the extent to which such program is utilized by 
        mortgagors in the United States;
            (2) any impediments to wider or more efficient use of such 
        program, including any such impediments relating to--
                    (A) knowledge of or about the program; and
                    (B) the terms, limitations, or operation of the 
                program;
            (3) effective actions which may be taken to increase 
        utilization of the program by mortgagors in the United States.
    (b) Report.--Not later than the expiration of the 6-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General shall submit to the Congress a report describing the findings 
of the study pursuant to subsection (a) and setting forth 
recommendations for actions under subsection (a)(3).

SEC. 10. HEALTHY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS.

    (a) Grant Program Authorized.--The Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, acting through the National Institute 
of Building Sciences, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and 
the Secretary of Education, is authorized to award grants to State 
educational agencies to permit such State educational agencies to carry 
out this section.
    (b) Subgrants.--
            (1) In general.--A State educational agency receiving a 
        grant under this section shall use funds made available under 
        the grant to award subgrants to local educational agencies to 
        permit such local educational agencies to carry out the 
        activities described in subsection (e).
            (2) Limitation.--A State educational agency shall award 
        subgrants under this subsection to local educational agencies 
        that are the neediest, as determined by the State, and that 
        have made a commitment to develop healthy, high-performance 
        school buildings in accordance with the plan developed and 
        approved under subsection (c)(1).
    (c) Implementation.--
            (1) Plans.--A State educational agency shall award 
        subgrants under this section only to local educational agencies 
        that, in consultation with the State educational agency and 
        State agencies with responsibilities relating to energy and 
        health, have developed plans that the State educational agency 
        determines to be feasible and appropriate in order to achieve 
        the purposes for which the subgrants are made.
            (2) Supplementing grant funds.--The State educational 
        agency shall encourage local educational agencies that receive 
        subgrants under this section to supplement their subgrant funds 
        with funds from other sources in order to implement their 
        plans.
    (d) Administration.--A State educational agency receiving a grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds made available under this 
section for one or more of the following:
            (1) To evaluate compliance by local educational agencies 
        with the requirements of this section.
            (2) To distribute information and materials on healthy, 
        high-performance school buildings for both new and existing 
        facilities.
            (3) To organize and conduct programs for school board 
        members, school district personnel, and others to disseminate 
        information on healthy, high-performance school buildings.
            (4) To provide technical services and assistance in 
        planning and designing healthy, high-performance school 
        buildings.
            (5) To collect and monitor information pertaining to 
        healthy, high-performance school building projects.
    (e) Local Uses of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--A local educational agency that receives a 
        subgrant under this section shall use the subgrant funds to 
        plan and prepare for healthy, high-performance school building 
        projects that--
                    (A) reduce energy use to at least 30 percent below 
                that of a school constructed in compliance with 
                standards prescribed in chapter 8 of the 2000 
                International Energy Conservation Code, or a similar 
                State code intended to achieve substantially equivalent 
                results;
                    (B) meet Federal and State health and safety codes; 
                and
                    (C) support healthful, energy efficient, and 
                environmentally sound practices.
            (2) Use of funds.--A local educational agency that receives 
        a subgrant under this section shall use funds for one or more 
        of the following:
                    (A) To develop a comprehensive energy audit of the 
                energy consumption characteristics of a building and 
                the need for additional energy conservation measures 
                necessary to allow schools to meet the guidelines set 
                out in paragraph (1).
                    (B) To produce a comprehensive analysis of building 
                strategies, designs, materials, and equipment that--
                            (i) are cost effective, produce greater 
                        energy efficiency, and enhance indoor air 
                        quality; and
                            (ii) can be used when conducting school 
                        construction and renovation or purchasing 
                        materials and equipment.
                    (C) To obtain research and provide technical 
                services and assistance in planning and designing 
                healthy, high-performance school buildings, including 
                developing a timeline for implementation of such plans.
    (f) Information and Assistance.--The Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, acting through the National Institute 
of Building Sciences, shall provide information and assistance to local 
educational agencies on sustainable design. The information and 
assistance shall include--
            (1) information on how benefits of sustainable design can 
        benefit life cycle costs to all school districts at no cost to 
        school districts; and
            (2) assistance on how to create curriculum for 
        environmental science classes to study local effects of 
        sustainable design.
    (g) Report to Congress.--The Administrator shall conduct a biennial 
review of State actions implementing this section and carrying out the 
plans developed under this section through State and local funding, and 
shall submit a report to Congress on the results of such reviews.
    (h) Limitations.--No funds received under this section may be used 
for any of the following:
            (1) Payment of maintenance of costs in connection with any 
        projects constructed in whole or in part with Federal funds 
        provided under this section.
            (2) Construction, renovation, or repair of school 
        facilities.
            (3) Construction, renovation, repair, or acquisition of a 
        stadium or other facility primarily used for athletic contests 
        or exhibitions, or other events for which admission is charged 
        to the general public.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``healthy, high-performance school building'' 
        means a school building in which the design, construction, 
        operation, and maintenance--
                    (A) use energy-efficient and affordable practices 
                and materials;
                    (B) are cost-effective;
                    (C) enhance indoor air quality; and
                    (D) protect and conserve water.
            (2) The terms ``local educational agency'' and ``State 
        educational agency'' have the meaning given those terms in 
        section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
    (j) Conforming Repeal.--Subpart 18 (20 U.S.C. 7277 et seq.) of part 
D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is 
repealed.

SEC. 11. LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

    (a) Program.--The Administrator shall establish a program to make 
loan guarantees available to public institutions of higher education in 
a State for the construction or renovation of permanent buildings that 
meet the standards established under section 8(a).
    (b) Qualifications.--The Administrator shall establish the 
qualifications necessary for an institution to be eligible for a loan 
guarantee under this section, including qualifications to protect the 
financial interests of the Federal Government.
    (c) Approval.--The Administrator shall approve or disapprove an 
application for a loan guarantee under this section not later than 30 
days after receiving a completed application.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 12. ACCOUNTABILITY OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Agency Actions.--Each Federal agency shall--
            (1) increase the energy efficiency of its facilities and 
        operations;
            (2) annually transmit to the President and the Congress a 
        report on the energy efficiency increases and carbon emission 
        reductions associated with its facilities and operation; and
            (3) reward agency employees who make significant 
        contributions to the reduction of agency carbon emissions.
    (b) Energy Manager Training.--The energy manager, designated under 
section 304 of Executive Order No. 13123, of each Federal agency shall 
be required to receive training approved by the Administrator on green 
building design, construction, use, and decommissioning, and to receive 
an annual refresher course approved by the Administrator on those 
subjects.
    (c) Energy Efficiency Budget Report.--Not later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
transmit to the Congress a report comparing the energy efficiency 
budget request by the President for each Federal agency for fiscal 
years 2006 and 2007 with the requests from the agency to the President 
for energy efficiency budget amounts for those fiscal years.

SEC. 13. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BLOCK GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall make block grants to State 
and local governments. Such grants may be used for--
            (1) the renovation of existing buildings to achieve the 
        standards established by the National Institute of Building 
        Sciences under section 8(a);
            (2) redesigning existing plans for new buildings to enable 
        those plans to meet such standards;
            (3) research and development of technologies to enable and 
        support green building design and the achievement of such 
        standards; and
            (4) public education and training, including training for 
        homeowners, business owners, first time home buyers, and 
        contractors, on green buildings and their construction, use, 
        and decommissioning.
    (b) Mandatory Use.--All block grants received under this section 
shall be used, at least in part, for the purpose described in 
subsection (a)(4).
    (c) Eligibility.--No State or local government may receive a block 
grant under this section unless it demonstrates to the satisfaction of 
the Administrator that--
            (1) the State or local government (and in the case of a 
        State, all the local jurisdictions within the State) has--
                    (A) adopted the standards established under section 
                8(a); and
                    (B) fully implemented such standards; or
            (2) technical barriers exist that prevent such adoption and 
        implementation.
    (d) Research and Development Coordination.--The Administrator shall 
monitor activities described in subsection (a)(3) to prevent 
unnecessary duplication of research and development efforts.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator for making grants under this section 
$1,000,000,000 for the period encompassing fiscal years 2009 through 
2018.

SEC. 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator for 
carrying out this Act, other than sections 11 and 13 $50,000,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2013.

SEC. 15. INCREASE AND EXTENSION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT COMMERCIAL 
              BUILDINGS DEDUCTION.

    (a) Increase.--Section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to energy efficient commercial buildings deduction) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)(A) by striking ``$1.80'' and 
        inserting ``$2.25'', and
            (2) in subsection (d)(1)(A) by striking ``by substituting'' 
        and all that follows through the period at the end and 
        inserting ``by substituting `$.75' for `$2.25'.''.
    (b) Extension.--Subsection (h) of section 179D of such Code 
(relating to termination) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2008'' 
and inserting ``December 31, 2013''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to property placed in service after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, in taxable years ending after such date.
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