[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 109 (Monday, July 20, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




LETTER FROM THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS CAUCUS RE: ENERGY AND WATER 
                            APPROPS OF 2010

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                           HON. RUSS CARNAHAN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 2009

  Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I submit the following letter:

                                Congress of the United States,

                                    Washington, DC, July 15, 2009.
     Hon. David R. Obey,
     Chairman, Committee on Appropriations.
     Hon. Ed Pastor,
     Acting Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Water 
         Development.
     Hon. Jerry Lewis,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations.
     Hon. Rodney Frelinghuysen,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.
       Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members: As members of the High-
     Performance Buildings Caucus, we commend your work on the 
     Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2010. This Act makes 
     investments in all areas of energy and makes critical 
     investments in our nation's infrastructure. Of those 
     investments, we hope you will give priority consideration to 
     the Energy Efficient Buildings Systems Hub.
       As a Caucus, we have consistently advocated for investments 
     in a particular element of our nation's infrastructure--our 
     built environment. Each year our nation's homes, offices, 
     schools, and other buildings consume 70 percent of the 
     electricity in the U.S., emit 39 percent of the nation's 
     carbon dioxide emissions, and our citizens spend 
     approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Investing in 
     the research and development of high-performance building 
     technologies can have a direct impact on decreasing our 
     nation's carbon footprint, reducing costs and improving 
     building energy efficiency.
       In light of these facts, the Department of Energy fiscal 
     year 2010 budget introduced a request for eight Energy 
     Innovation Hubs, each focused on a specific national energy 
     related topic. These Energy Innovation Hubs would function in 
     a new structure modeled after the research laboratories 
     involved in the Manhattan Project Labs, Lincoln Labs at MIT 
     that developed radar and AT&T Bell Laboratories that 
     developed the transistor.
       According to the Department of Energy, the proposed Energy 
     Efficient Building Systems Hub would:
       Develop systems-based approaches to designing commercial 
     and residential buildings that integrate windows and 
     lighting, natural ventilation and HVAC, thermal inertia, on-
     site energy generation and other factors. Develop building 
     design software with imbedded energy analysis to assist 
     architects and engineers in adopting new technologies for 
     conserving energy. Develop automated operating platforms for 
     real-time optimization of the building control systems, 
     analogous to computer optimization of automobile engine 
     performance.
       We understand that during difficult economic and budgetary 
     times, we must be especially careful with federal research 
     investments. It is because of our strong belief in the 
     benefits of energy efficiency gains that we believe that this 
     Energy Innovation Hub will offer the best return for our 
     investment.
       While we understand the concerns of the Appropriations 
     Committee regarding possible redundancies within existing 
     initiatives, we hope to work with the Committee and the 
     Department of Energy to address these specific concerns 
     before moving forward. It is our hope that as this 
     legislation moves forward, we will be able to work with you 
     to address this important issue.
           Sincerely,
         Russ Carnahan, Co-Chair, High-Performance Buildings 
           Caucus; Judy Biggert, Co-Chair, High-Performance 
           Buildings Caucus; Earl Blumenauer, Paul Hodes, Dave 
           Loebsack, Bill Foster, Jay Inslee, Edolphus Towns, 
           David Wu, Members of Congress.

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