[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 11, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5001-H5003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TO STUDY AND PROMOTE THE USE OF ENERGY EFFICIENT COMPUTER SERVERS IN 
                           THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5646) to study and promote the use of energy 
efficient computer servers in the United States, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5646

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

     SECTION 1. STUDY.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency, through the Energy Star program, shall transmit to 
     the Congress the results of a study analyzing the rapid 
     growth and energy consumption of computer data centers by the 
     Federal Government and private enterprise. The study shall 
     include--
       (1) an overview of the growth trends associated with data 
     centers and the utilization of servers in the Federal 
     Government and private sector;
       (2) analysis of the industry migration to the use of energy 
     efficient microchips and servers designed to provide energy 
     efficient computing and reduce the costs associated with 
     constructing, operating, and maintaining large and medium 
     scale data centers;
       (3) analysis of the potential cost savings to the Federal 
     Government, large institutional data center operators, 
     private enterprise, and consumers available through the 
     adoption of energy efficient data centers and servers;
       (4) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to 
     the energy supply chain through the adoption of energy 
     efficient data centers and servers, including reduced demand, 
     enhanced capacity, and reduced strain on existing grid 
     infrastructure, and consideration of secondary benefits, 
     including potential impact of related advantages associated 
     with substantial domestic energy savings;
       (5) analysis of the potential impacts of energy efficiency 
     on product performance, including computing functionality, 
     reliability, speed, and features, and overall cost;
       (6) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to 
     the energy supply chain through the use of stationary fuel 
     cells for backup power and distributed generation;
       (7) an overview of current government incentives offered 
     for energy efficient products and services and consideration 
     of similar incentives to encourage the adoption of energy 
     efficient data centers and servers;
       (8) recommendations regarding potential incentives and 
     voluntary programs that could be used to advance the adoption 
     of energy efficient data centers and computing; and
       (9) a meaningful opportunity for interested stakeholders, 
     including affected industry

[[Page H5002]]

     stakeholders and energy efficiency advocates, to provide 
     comments, data, and other information on the scope, contents, 
     and conclusions of the study.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that it is in the best interest 
     of the United States for purchasers of computer servers to 
     give high priority to energy efficiency as a factor in 
     determining best value and performance for purchases of 
     computer servers.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the 
bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the digital economy is on the move, and we have got some 
great news for Michigan, a State that is very automotive dominated, 
with Google announcing 1,000 jobs over the next 5 years this morning to 
be located right outside my district in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a 
great and important, I think, announcement for our State, which has had 
a little bit of economic trouble, but is now embracing this new wave of 
digital innovation, the digital economy, the IT economy, as it spreads 
around this great country.
  With that come some serious concerns for the IT community, for those 
who are involved in the digital economy, and for those of us, all of 
us, who depend on energy use.
  According to industry analysts, the U.S. server market is expected to 
grow from 2.8 million units in 2005 to 4.9 million units in 2009, a 
growth rate, Mr. Speaker, of almost 50 percent. Data center energy 
costs are expected to soar, as companies deploy greater numbers of 
servers consuming more power and, in the process, emitting more heat 
that needs to be dissipated.

                              {time}  1345

  Data center electricity costs are already in the range of $3.3 
billion annually. Improved energy savings in servers will help the 
United States meet its energy demands to stay competitive in the global 
economy without having to build new generating facilities. If done 
right, Mr. Speaker, that is power lines that won't have to be built, it 
is power plants that won't have to be built just to meet the demands of 
what is a growing part of our economy, and that is these data centers 
as applies to the IT or digital economy.
  Interesting, if you take a small 100,000 square foot, which is not so 
small, actually, annual utility cost for a data center or a server 
farm, it is nearly $6 million. If done right, efficient servers can 
result in as high as an 80 percent reduction in electricity demand. 
That is $4.8 million in savings if we can reach that goal. That means 
jobs, innovation, expansion. It means taking the money and investing it 
in people versus electricity or energy costs. That is a win for 
everybody.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense conservation bill that will work 
to reduce the need for new power plants and new transmission lines in 
each of our districts by driving down demand for electricity and 
allowing the expansion and growth of the digital economy.
  There are a great number of organizations who have stepped up to 
support H.R. 5646, and I would like to name just a few: the Alliance to 
Save Energy, American Electronics Association, American Council for an 
Energy Efficient Economy, Electronic Industries Alliance, Information 
Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, and 
TechNet.
  The legislation is very straightforward. It calls for a study in our 
ability to get ahead of this very, very important problem looming 
before us, and that is the expanded use of energy.
  Finally, I want to thank Ms. Eshoo for her help and support and 
assistance in this effort, as well as that of her staff, who have 
worked diligently with my staff to help put this together in a timely 
fashion to help meet the needs of this new and exciting American 
economy.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. BOUCHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5646, a measure 
which will require the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct an 
analysis of the energy effects of the expanding use of computer servers 
and the concentration of computer servers in large data centers. 
Computer server use is rapidly growing at a rate that is estimated to 
be 50 percent over a mere 5 years. Servers are now used in virtually 
every business and every government office. And now companies with 
large information processing needs are aggregating servers into large 
data centers.
  The growing use of servers has an energy consequence, and it is now 
estimated that server operations consume electricity valued at $3 
billion annually. In our ongoing efforts to become a more energy-
efficient Nation, it is appropriate that we focus on ways to encourage 
more energy-efficient computer servers.
  The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy are 
charged with the administration of the Energy Star program, which 
identifies and labels energy-efficient technologies in a number of 
business and household products. Use of more energy-efficient products 
enables residential and commercial energy consumers to lower their 
electricity costs and also to lessen the overall national demand for 
electricity.
  H.R. 5646 would facilitate and advance the ongoing efforts of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, of technology companies, and 
nongovernmental organizations to determine how best to measure the 
energy efficiency of data centers with the goal of identifying and 
labeling as an Energy Star product the most efficient computer server 
technologies.
  This measure provides appropriate guidance to the EPA for use in 
conducting an analysis of the energy consumption of computer data 
centers, as well as for the identification of potential cost savings 
that could be achieved by identifying through the Energy Star program 
energy-efficient computer server systems for use in data centers.
  I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) and also 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo) for their careful and 
thorough work and for their creativity in bringing this innovative and 
very timely measure to the floor. It is my privilege, Mr. Speaker, to 
urge its passage by the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Rogers from the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, for the work he has done on this bill. I 
am proud to be the Democratic lead on it. I think it is a very 
important step for the Congress to take. Obviously, I urge all of my 
colleagues to vote for it.
  The bill, as you have heard, directs the EPA to study the energy 
efficiency of computer servers and data centers within our government, 
the United States Government, as well as the private sector.
  Data centers are facilities that house large amounts of electronic 
equipment, primarily computer servers that handle data for large and 
complex operations which continue to grow daily in our country.
  These facilities can occupy an entire room, an entire floor, or an 
entire building. According to industry estimates, the average annual 
electricity cost of running a single data center is about $6 million a 
year, and the cumulative energy costs for these centers is about $3.3 
billion a year. So the energy demands of these operations are going to 
continue to grow.
  They are going to continue to expand as the market for servers is 
expected to expand by about 50 percent over the next 5 years. And of 
course the by-word of this Congress and I think future Congresses is 
going to be energy conservation, energy conservation, energy 
conservation.

[[Page H5003]]

  The EPA, high-technology companies, and nongovernmental organizations 
have discussed how to measure efficiency of these data centers with an 
eye toward providing an Energy Star rating for the most efficient 
technology. It has worked with other industries. It really has been a 
motivator. Anyone who goes out to buy appliances for their home, you 
look for the energy-efficient label, and that has done much to conserve 
in our country.
  I think the study that this bill calls for will advance this, as well 
as helping consumers, businesses, and the government to identify the 
most efficient technology to meet their needs.
  The bill, H.R. 5646, has the support of high-technology companies, of 
environmental groups, of energy companies, including the Alliance to 
Save Energy, the AEA, TechNet, SIA, EIA, and the ITIC.
  I want to thank Mr. Rogers for accepting the changes that we 
suggested to the bill as reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee. 
I think the changes are going to ensure that the EPA will continue to 
seek input not only from industry stakeholders, but from environmental 
groups and outside efficiency experts.
  We have also taken steps to ensure that the EPA examines the features 
and the capabilities of computer data centers in its report, and that 
the EPA has adequate time to prepare this study.
  I thank Mr. Rogers for working so hard to make sure this comes to the 
floor. I urge all of my colleagues to support it. This is a good bill. 
It is an important step.
  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren).
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, along with my colleague, 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), I represent Silicon Valley 
and we certainly know the need for this legislation in Silicon Valley. 
As Ms. Eshoo has indicated, this bill has the support of the high-tech 
sector, and for a very good reason.
  According to a recent report, 41 percent of Fortune 500 IT executives 
identified power and cooling problems for their data centers. In my own 
district in San Jose, we had a server farm that wanted to go in. 
Everybody wanted it. We had to build a power plant to actually 
accommodate the server farm. We are looking for energy efficiencies in 
this sector.
  We know that climate change threatens the security and stability of 
our planet and economy, and everything we can do to reduce power 
consumption and sustain energy independence is a good thing for our 
planet and for our society.
  I would just note that we have come a long way since I was a 
youngster when computers took up a room and we had punch cards and the 
heat and power drag was incredible. If we can reduce power consumption, 
we can up efficiency and production as well. This bill is a good step. 
The Energy Star program does not include this sector today, so this is 
an important step forward.
  I hope that this measure will be supported by a wide margin in the 
House. There is no reason in the world that I can think of that any 
Member of this House should not vote for it. I commend Members on both 
sides of the aisle for their leadership in bringing this forward.
  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers at this time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5646, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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