[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1407 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1407

   Supporting the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 27, 2010

 Mrs. Biggert (for herself, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. 
    Schock, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Baird, and Ms. Schwartz) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Supporting the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week.

Whereas the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition has 
        declared the week of June 13 through June 19, 2010, as ``High-
        Performance Building Week'';
Whereas the House of Representatives has recognized the importance of high-
        performance buildings through the inclusion of a definition of high-
        performance buildings in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 
        2007;
Whereas our homes, offices, schools, and other buildings consume 40 percent of 
        the primary energy and 70 percent of the electricity in the United 
        States annually;
Whereas buildings consume about 12 percent of the potable water in this country;
Whereas the construction of buildings and their related infrastructure consumes 
        approximately 60 percent of all raw materials used in the United States 
        economy;
Whereas buildings account for 39 percent of United States carbon dioxide 
        emissions a year, approximately equaling the combined carbon emissions 
        of Japan, France, and the United Kingdom;
Whereas Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors;
Whereas the value of all United States construction alone represents more than 
        13 percent of the Nation's Gross Domestic Product and the value of the 
        Nation's structures is estimated at over $28 trillion;
Whereas poor indoor environmental quality is detrimental to the health of all 
        Americans, especially our children and the elderly;
Whereas high-performance buildings promote higher student achievement by 
        providing better lighting, a more comfortable indoor environment, and 
        improved ventilation and indoor air quality;
Whereas high-performance residential and commercial building design and 
        construction should effectively guard against natural and human-caused 
        events and disasters, including fire, water, wind, noise, crime, and 
        terrorism;
Whereas high-performance buildings, which address human, environmental, 
        economic, and total societal impact, result from the application of the 
        highest level of design, construction, operation, and maintenance 
        principles--a paradigm change for the built environment;
Whereas nearly 7,500,000 Americans are employed in the design, construction, 
        operation, and maintenance sectors and require education and training to 
        achieve and maintain high performance; and
Whereas the United States should continue to improve the features of new 
        buildings and adapt and maintain existing buildings to changing balances 
        in our needs and responsibilities for health, safety, energy and water 
        efficiency, and usability by all segments of society: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of High-Performance 
        Building Week;
            (2) recognizes and reaffirms our Nation's commitment to 
        high-performance buildings by promoting awareness about their 
        benefits and by promoting new education programs, supporting 
        research, and expanding access to information;
            (3) recognizes the unique role that the Department of 
        Energy plays through the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
        Renewable Energy's Building Technologies Program, which works 
        closely with the building industry and manufacturers to conduct 
        research and development on technologies and practices for 
        building energy efficiency;
            (4) recognizes the important role that the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology plays in developing the 
        measurement science needed to develop, test, integrate, and 
        demonstrate the new building technologies; and
            (5) encourages further research and development of high-
        performance building standards, research, and development.
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