[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E404-E405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS ACT OF 200l

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the High 
Performance Schools Act of 2001, a bill intended to help school 
districts build schools that provide better learning environments for 
children, while also saving on energy costs and protecting the 
environment.
  I am pleased that my colleagues Representatives Sherwood Boehlert, 
George Miller, David Bonior, Bob Etheridge, and Mike Honda are joining 
me as original cosponsors of this bill.
  This legislation is part of a package of bills I plan to introduce or 
cosponsor that promotes sustainable development and preserves quality 
of life in communities that are undergoing intense growth. As we have 
seen in my State of Colorado and in many parts of the West, 
unprecedented population growth has led to urban sprawl and congestion, 
which has eroded much of the quality of life we value, including 
valuable open space, farmland, wildlife, and natural, cultural and 
recreational resources.
  I believe that the Federal Government can do a better job to support 
State and community efforts to control growth and prevent sprawl. And 
this bill is one step toward that goal.
  Many of you know about my interest in clean energy. As lead co-chair 
of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus in the House, I am 
committed to promoting these technologies that further our national 
goals of broad-based economic growth, environmental protection, 
national security, and economic competitiveness.
  In recent years, we've seen a wide array of successes in developing 
these technologies. In particular, much research has focused on 
improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy 
in buildings in a ``whole building'' approach to design and 
construction. By incorporating advanced energy efficiency technologies, 
daylighting, and renewable energy, ``whole buildings'' provide benefits 
in the way of energy savings, environmental protection, and economic 
efficiency. As buildings account for roughly a third of our annual 
energy consumption and a commensurate share of greenhouse gas 
emissions, this research focus seems well justified. They are

[[Page E405]]

also important components in any smart growth plan.
  The bill I am introducing today--the ``High Performance Schools Act 
of 2001''--takes the concept of ``whole buildings'' and puts it into 
the context of our schools. My bill would establish a program in the 
Department of Energy to help school districts produce ``high 
performance'' school buildings. It would provide block grants to State 
offices of energy that would then be allocated as grants to school 
districts for building design and technical assistance. These grants 
would be available to school districts that are faced with rising 
elementary and secondary
  Now is the time for improving the way we build our schools. One 
reason why--the current energy crisis is taking its toll on school 
districts across the country. Many of them are being forced to pay 
higher heating bills with funds that had been budgeted for textbooks or 
new teacher salaries. We must do all we can to ensure that scarce 
education resources are used primarily for education purposes, not to 
keep our children warm.
  Another reason why the timing for this initiative is critical--this 
country is currently experiencing a dramatic increase in student 
enrollment due to the ``baby boom echo,'' the children of the baby boom 
generation. During the 20 years from 1989 to 2009, this Nation is being 
asked to educate an additional 8.3 million children. At the same time, 
over 70 percent of our Nation's schools were built before 1960 and are 
now in need of major repairs.
  Visiting schools in the 2nd Congressional district in Colorado, I 
have seen firsthand the spaces in which our children are learning and 
growing. Many districts can't afford sorely needed remodeling or 
construction of new schools, while others are scrambling to address 
severe overcrowding issues. And we aren't alone: School enrollment in 
Colorado increased by 70,000 students in the last five years. While new 
schools open at or above capacity, enrollment is projected to grow in 
Colorado by 120,000 in the next decade.
  Clearly, there's an urgent need for school construction--in Colorado 
and in every State across the country. Thousands of communities 
nationwide are even now in the process of building new schools and 
renovating existing ones. But in drawing up construction plans, schools 
often focus on short-term construction costs instead of longterm, life-
cycle savings. My bill would help ensure that school districts have the 
tools and assistance they need to make good building decisions.
  High performance schools are a win for energy savings and a win for 
the environment, but best of all, they are also a win for student 
performance. A growing number of studies link student achievement and 
behavior to the physical building conditions. A study from Mississippi 
State University, for example, showed that in schools in North 
Carolina, Texas and Nevada, variables such as natural light and climate 
control played a role in improved test scores, higher morale and fewer 
discipline problems. And in one of the most rigorous studies of its 
kind, a 1999 report commissioned by Pacific Gas & Electric found that 
students who took their lessons in classrooms with more natural light 
scored as much as 25 percent higher on standardized tests than other 
students in the same school district.
  We wouldn't dream of putting only manual typewriters in new school 
buildings--we would install today's computer technology. Nor should we 
build yesterday's ``energy inefficient,'' non-sustainable, and less 
effective schools. Our kids are our country's future, and they should 
have the best school facilities, especially if they will cost less and 
benefit us all in other ways.
  In short, we have an enormous opportunity to build a new generation 
of sustainable schools, schools that incorporate the best of today's 
designs and technologies and as a result provide better learning 
environments for our children, cost less to operate, and help protect 
our local and global environment. The High Performance Schools Act 
would start us on the road to achieving these goals. I look forward to 
working with Reps. Boehlert, Miller, Bonior, Etheridge, and Honda and 
other Members of the House to move forward with this important 
initiative.

                The High Performance Schools Act of 2001

       The High Performance Schools Act would enable our school 
     districts to build today's schools with today's designs and 
     technologies, producing school buildings that take advantage 
     of advanced energy conservation technologies, daylighting, 
     and renewable energy. Not only has this ``whole building'' 
     approach been demonstrated to improve student performance, 
     but such buildings also cost less to operate and help protect 
     our local and global environment.


                                Context

       Fully 25 percent of the energy used in today's schools is 
     wasted, costing schools some $1.5 billion every year. Ending 
     this waste could pay for the entire careers of 70 additional 
     teachers in each of our congressional districts. These 
     savings could be especially significant at a time when there 
     is a clear need for more teachers.
       There is also a clear need for school construction. 
     Students of the ``echo boom'' generation--the children of the 
     baby boomers--are reaching school age even while class sizes 
     are being reduced. At the same time, studies show that over 
     70 percent of our nation's schools were built before 1960 and 
     are now in need of major repairs. School construction and 
     modernization earned an ``F'' from the American Society of 
     Civil Engineers in its 1998 Report Card for America's 
     Infrastructure. Many districts can't afford sorely needed 
     remodeling or construction of new schools, while others are 
     scrambling to address severe overcrowding issues.


                           How It Would Work

       The High Performance Schools Act of 2001 would help give 
     school districts the tools and assistance they need to make 
     good building choices. The bill would establish a program in 
     the Department of Energy to help school districts produce 
     ``high performance'' school buildings. Funds would be 
     directed to school districts through state offices of energy 
     for building design and technical assistance. These grants 
     would be available to school districts that are faced with 
     rising elementary and secondary school enrollments, that lack 
     the resources to make major infrastructural investments, and 
     that commit to work with the state agencies to produce school 
     facilities that incorporate a ``high performance'' building 
     approach. Some grants would also be available to facilitate 
     private and public financing, promote the use of energy 
     service companies, work with school administrations, 
     students, and communities, and coordinate public benefit 
     programs.

     

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