[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 74 (Friday, May 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5696-S5701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 968. A bill to establish Healthy and High Performance Schools 
Program in the Department of Education and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, I introduce legislation to help 
our schools become more energy efficient.
  Each year, America's schools spend more on energy costs than they do 
on books and computers combined.
  As we continue to debate education spending, there is at least one 
way to save on education costs: energy efficiency measures could save 
America's schools $1.5 billion. And we can reinvest those dollars into 
educational resources--like books, computers or more training for our 
teachers--that can make a real difference for our children's futures.
  Typically, nearly one-third of the energy used in a U.S. school goes 
to waste because of outdated technology, old equipment and poor 
insulation. The least energy-efficient schools, many of which are in 
desperate need of upgrades and repair, use almost four times as much 
energy per square foot as the most energy-efficient ones.
  Over half of our the country's K-12 schools are more than 40 years 
old and in need of renovation to reach standards of efficiency and 
comfort. And it's estimated that 6,000 new schools will be needed in 
the next 10 years because of the growing student population.

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  The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that schools could save 25 to 
30 percent of the money they spend on energy--$1.5 billion--through 
better building design, use of energy-efficient and renewable energy 
technologies and improvements to operations and maintenance.
  Unfortunately, school districts may not be aware of the things they 
can do to be more energy efficient, improve indoor environments, and 
save money. That is why the legislation that I am introducing today is 
so important. The Healthy and High Performance Schools Act of 2001 
would create a program within the Department of Education to provide 
grants to states to help school districts make their buildings 
healthier and more energy efficient. It will help our schools improve 
the indoor air quality, make smart energy efficient upgrades and take 
advantage of new, energy efficient technology. And this will save our 
schools money.
  There are some basic things that every school can do to reduce energy 
use. If schools adopt energy management systems to coordinate heating, 
ventilation and air conditioning they can help ensure rooms are heated 
and cooled only while being used.
  And simply closing doors to keep heated or cooled air from escaping 
can save money. Schools can add insulation to walls, floors, attics and 
ceilings or use shades, films and screens to better secure windows. 
Using some type of window treatment in the summer can greatly reduce 
the need for air conditioning. Energy-efficient fixtures, bulbs and 
lamps can make a big difference too. And installing occupancy sensors 
to control lighting when rooms are empty is smart and efficient.
  So much of the energy used by schools--approximately fifteen 
percent--is for cooking, refrigeration, and heating hot water. Simply 
maintaining food service equipment in schools can mean large energy 
savings.
  Energy use by computers and office equipment is one of the fastest-
growing sources of electricity consumption in schools, businesses and 
homes. And it is expected to grow by as much as 500 percent in the next 
decade. If schools use products with an ENERGY STAR label--the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's, EPA, label for energy efficient 
appliances--they can save as much as 50 percent in energy costs.
  And I'm proud to report that many schools in New York are already 
leading the way.
  The Smithtown School District on Long Island recently became the 
first school district in New York State to receive the Energy Star 
label. The District completed an extensive lighting modification 
project using the latest energy-efficient technologies in three of its 
elementary schools. Three schools, Smithtown Elementary, Mount Pleasant 
Elementary and Dogwood Elementary, will display the bronze plaque with 
the Energy Star logo in their buildings. The district now uses more 
than five million kilowatts less than it did in the 1970's.
  The Kingston School District in Ulster County, New York, made drastic 
improvements in the energy performance of all the schools in the 
district by replacing many of the windows, installing new boilers, and 
making other energy efficient upgrades. In 2000, the school district 
saved more than $395,000 through its energy-efficiency upgrades and in 
2001, received an Energy Star Partner of the Year Award.
  Sachem Central School District on Long Island was awarded the Energy 
Start Partner of the Year Award in 2000. The District installed energy-
efficient lighting fixtures and new boilers that resulted in savings of 
almost 300,000 gallons of oil and more than 2.9 million kWh. Special 
building automation system helps measure, monitor and manage energy 
use.
  Other New York Energy Star School Partners are Connetquot Central 
School District, East Rockaway Public Schools, Fordham Preparatory 
School, Patchogue Medford Schools, Rochester City School District, Rye 
City School District and Wantagh Union Free School District.
  I am pleased to join my colleague in the House of Representatives, 
Mark Udall from Colorado, the sponsor of the High Performance Schools 
Act of 2001, H.R. 1129, as well as the co-sponsors, including my fellow 
New Yorkers, Sherwood Boehlert and Maurice Hinchey.
  I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will join me in supporting 
this legislation, which has bipartisan support in the House, so that we 
can provide our schools with the tools that they need to save money on 
their energy costs, and reinvest that money into much-needed education 
resources that can help our children reach their goals.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 968

       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 ``Healthy and High Performance 
     Schools Act of 2001''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) American kindergarten through grade 12 schools spend 
     over $6,000,000,000 annually on energy costs, which is more 
     than is spent on books and computers combined.
       (2) Approximately 25,000,000 students are attending schools 
     with at least 1 unsatisfactory environmental condition.
       (3) Educators teach and students learn best in an 
     environment that is comfortable, healthy, naturally lit where 
     possible, and in good repair, and studies have indicated that 
     student achievement is greater and attendance higher when 
     those conditions are met.
       (4) Over half of our Nation's kindergarten through grade 12 
     schools are more than 40 years old and in need of renovation 
     to reach such standard of efficiency and comfort, and 6,000 
     new schools will be required over the next 10 years to 
     accommodate the growing number of students.
       (5) Inadequate ventilation in school buildings, poor 
     lighting and acoustical quality, and uncomfortable 
     temperatures can cause poor health and diminish students' 
     capacity to concentrate and excel.
       (6) Inefficient use of water, either in consumption or from 
     poorly maintained systems, is prevalent in older schools.
       (7) Using a whole building approach in the design of new 
     schools and the renovation of existing schools (considering 
     how materials, systems, and products connect and overlap and 
     also how a school is integrated on its site and within the 
     surrounding community) will result in healthy and high 
     performance school buildings.
       (8) Adoption of whole building concepts has been shown to 
     result in dramatic improvements in student and teacher 
     performance.
       (9) Adopting a whole building approach usually results in a 
     lower life cycle cost for the school building than for a 
     conventionally designed and built building.
       (10) Systematic use of energy conservation in school 
     construction and renovation projects can save at least one 
     quarter of current energy costs, leaving more money for 
     teachers and educational materials.
       (11) The use of renewable energy sources such as 
     daylighting, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass 
     power in a building already designed to be energy-efficient 
     can help meet the building's energy needs without added 
     emissions.
       (12) Using environmentally preferable products and 
     providing for adequate supplies of fresh air will improve 
     indoor air quality and provide healthful school buildings.
       (13) Most school districts do not have the knowledge of 
     cutting-edge design and technologies to integrate optimum 
     efficiency and environmentally healthy designs into new 
     school construction or into school renovations.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to assist local 
     educational agencies in the production of high performance 
     elementary school and secondary school buildings that are 
     healthful, productive, energy-efficient, and environmentally 
     sound.

     SEC. 3. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) Program.--There is established in the Department of 
     Education the High Performance Schools Program (in this Act 
     referred to as the ``Program'').
       (b) Grants.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, may, through the Program, 
     award grants to State educational agencies to permit such 
     State educational agencies to carry out subsection (c).
       (c) State Use of Funds.--
       (1) Subgrants.--
       (A) In general.--A State educational agency receiving a 
     grant under this Act shall use the grant funds made available 
     under section 4(a)(1) to award subgrants to local educational 
     agencies to permit such local educational agencies to carry 
     out the activities described in subsection (d).
       (B) Limitation.--A State educational agency shall award 
     subgrants under subparagraph (A) to local educational 
     agencies that have made a commitment to use the subgrant 
     funds to develop healthy, high performance school buildings 
     in accordance with the plan developed and approved pursuant 
     to subparagraph (C)(i).
       (C) Implementation.--
       (i) Plans.--A State educational agency shall award 
     subgrants under paragraph (1) only to local educational 
     agencies that, in

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     consultation with the State educational agency and State 
     offices 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 such subgrants are made.
       (ii) Supplementing grant funds.--The State educational 
     agency shall encourage qualifying local educational agencies 
     to supplement their subgrant funds with funds from other 
     sources in the implementation of their plans.
       (2) Administration.--A State educational agency receiving a 
     grant under this Act shall use the grant funds made available 
     under section 4(a)(2)--
       (A) to evaluate compliance by local educational agencies 
     with the requirements of this Act;
       (B) to distribute information and materials to clearly 
     define and promote the development of healthy, high 
     performance school buildings for both new and existing 
     facilities;
       (C) to organize and conduct programs for school board 
     members, school district personnel, architects, engineers, 
     and others to advance the concepts of healthy, high 
     performance school buildings;
       (D) to obtain technical services and assistance in planning 
     and designing high performance school buildings; and
       (E) to collect and monitor information pertaining to the 
     high performance school building projects funded under this 
     Act.
       (3) Promotion.--Subject to section 4(a), a State 
     educational agency receiving a grant under this Act may use 
     grant funds for promotional and marketing activities, 
     including facilitating private and public financing, working 
     with school administrations, students, and communities, and 
     coordinating public benefit programs.
       (d) Local Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--A local educational agency receiving a 
     subgrant under subsection (c)(1) shall use such subgrant 
     funds for new school building projects and renovation 
     projects that--
       (A) achieve energy-efficiency performance that reduces 
     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; and
       (B) achieve environmentally healthy schools in compliance 
     with Federal and State codes intended to achieve healthy and 
     safe school environments.
       (2) Existing buildings.--A local educational agency 
     receiving a subgrant under subsection (c)(1) for renovation 
     of existing school buildings shall use such subgrant funds to 
     achieve energy efficiency performance that reduces energy use 
     below the school's baseline consumption, assuming a 3-year, 
     weather-normalized average for calculating such baseline and 
     to help bring schools into compliance with health and safety 
     standards.

     SEC. 4. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.

       (a) In General.--A State receiving a grant under this Act 
     shall use--
       (1) not less than 70 percent of such grant funds to carry 
     out section 3(c)(1); and
       (2) not less than 15 percent of such grant funds to carry 
     out section 3(c)(2).
       (b) Reservation.--The Secretary may reserve an amount not 
     to exceed $300,000 per year from amounts appropriated under 
     section 6 to assist State educational agencies in 
     coordinating and implementing the Program. Such funds may be 
     used to develop reference materials to further define the 
     principles and criteria to achieve healthy, high performance 
     school buildings.

     SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a biennial 
     review of State actions implementing this Act, and shall 
     report to Congress on the results of such reviews.
       (b) Reviews.--In conducting such reviews, the Secretary 
     shall assess the effectiveness of the calculation procedures 
     used by State educational agencies in establishing 
     eligibility of local educational agencies for subgrants under 
     this Act, and may assess other aspects of the Program to 
     determine whether the aspects have been effectively 
     implemented.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to 
     carry out this Act--
       (1) $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 
     2005; and
       (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
     2006 through 2011.

     SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Elementary school and secondary school.--The terms 
     ``elementary school'' and ``secondary school'' have the same 
     meanings given such terms in section 14101 of the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
       (2) Healthy, high performance school building.--The term 
     ``healthy, high performance school building'' means a school 
     building which, in its design, construction, operation, and 
     maintenance, maximizes use of renewable energy and energy-
     efficient practices, is cost-effective on a life cycle basis, 
     uses affordable, environmentally preferable, durable 
     materials, enhances indoor environmental quality, protects 
     and conserves water, and optimizes site potential.
       (3) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the same meaning given such term in section 
     14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 8801).
       (4) Renewable energy.--The term ``renewable energy'' means 
     energy produced by solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, or 
     biomass power.
       (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Education.
       (6) State educational agency.--The term ``State educational 
     agency'' has the same meaning given such term in section 
     14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 8801).
                                 ______