[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 98 (Monday, June 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5604-H5605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         STREAMLINING ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR SCHOOLS ACT OF 2014

  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 4092) to amend the Energy Policy and 
Conservation Act to establish the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy as the lead Federal agency for coordinating Federal, 
State, and local assistance provided to promote the energy retrofitting 
of schools, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4092

       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 ``Streamlining Energy 
     Efficiency for Schools Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. COORDINATION OF ENERGY RETROFITTING ASSISTANCE FOR 
                   SCHOOLS.

       Section 392 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 
     U.S.C. 6371a) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) Coordination of Energy Retrofitting Assistance for 
     Schools.--
       ``(1) Definition of school.--Notwithstanding section 
     391(6), for the purposes of this subsection, the term 
     `school' means--
       ``(A) an elementary school or secondary school (as defined 
     in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));
       ``(B) an institution of higher education (as defined in 
     section 102(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1002(a));
       ``(C) a school of the defense dependents' education system 
     under the Defense Dependents' Education Act of 1978 (20 
     U.S.C. 921 et seq.) or established under section 2164 of 
     title 10, United States Code;
       ``(D) a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
       ``(E) a tribally controlled school (as defined in section 
     5212 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (25 
     U.S.C. 2511)); and
       ``(F) a Tribal College or University (as defined in section 
     316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1059c(b))).
       ``(2) Establishment of clearinghouse.--The Secretary, 
     acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
     Energy, shall establish a clearinghouse to disseminate 
     information regarding available Federal programs and 
     financing mechanisms that may be used to help initiate, 
     develop, and finance energy efficiency, distributed 
     generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools.
       ``(3) Requirements.--In carrying out paragraph (2), the 
     Secretary shall--
       ``(A) consult with appropriate Federal agencies to develop 
     a list of Federal programs and financing mechanisms that are, 
     or may be, used for the purposes described in paragraph (2); 
     and
       ``(B) coordinate with appropriate Federal agencies to 
     develop a collaborative education and outreach effort to 
     streamline communications and promote available Federal 
     programs and financing mechanisms described in subparagraph 
     (A), which may include the development and maintenance of a 
     single online resource that includes contact information for 
     relevant technical assistance in the Office of Energy 
     Efficiency and Renewable Energy that States, local education 
     agencies, and schools may use to effectively access and use 
     such Federal programs and financing mechanisms.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 4092 directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a clearinghouse 
to publish information on Federal programs and financing tools that may 
be used to initiate, development, and finance energy efficiency, 
distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools.
  In doing so, H.R. 4092 directs the Secretary to coordinate with 
appropriate Federal agencies on a collaborative effort to streamline 
communications and promote available programs and financing mechanisms.
  Schools spend approximately $6 billion each year on energy costs, 
making it the next largest expenditure after personnel costs. Well-
designed energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements can 
stabilize or reduce these operating costs.
  In fact, the most efficient schools use three times less energy than 
the least efficient schools. H.R. 4092 makes it easier for schools to 
access information on Federal programs and financing tools for pursuing 
such energy improvements.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I encourage my colleagues to support Congressman Cartwright's bill 
establishing a clearinghouse which will assist schools in identifying 
existing Federal programs available to help schools initiate, develop, 
and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy 
retrofitting projects.
  I congratulate Congressman Cartwright. This is a very thoughtful 
bill. It has broad stakeholder support. It makes a lot of common sense 
because there are these programs out there that are available to assist 
our schools, but sometimes connecting the dots is the challenge. This 
clearinghouse will help solve that.
  This bill received unanimous bipartisan support in the Energy and 
Commerce Committee.
  It is my pleasure now, Mr. Speaker, to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for 
yielding.
  I would like to thank Congressman Welch from Vermont for his 
leadership on this bill as well. It is no secret that Congressman Welch 
is one of the great champions in the House on the issue of energy 
efficiency, and it has been my pleasure to work with him on this.
  I would also like to thank Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman 
for their support in guiding this bill through committee. This 
legislation is a great example of what we can do when we work together 
in a bipartisan fashion.
  I would like to thank the majority and minority staffers. It is to 
their credit that they worked to craft an amended version of this bill 
that everybody could agree on. It was great to see

[[Page H5605]]

this bill pass unanimously out of the committee.
  K-12 school districts spend billions on their energy bills every 
year, approximately $6 billion a year, according to Energy Star, second 
only to personnel costs, exceeding the costs of textbooks and exceeding 
the costs of supplies.
  Energy expenses are one of the few costs that can be reduced while, 
at the same time, improving classroom instruction. In fact, high-
performance schools can lower a school district's operating costs by up 
to 30 percent.
  There are numerous Federal initiatives already available to schools 
to help them become more energy efficient. However, these programs are 
spread across the Federal Government, making it challenging, time 
consuming, and costly for schools to identify and take full advantage 
of these programs. I have heard it said that you practically need a 
degree in library science to research and find all of these programs.
  First introduced in the Senate as S. 1084 by Senators Mark Udall and 
Susan Collins, the bipartisan Streamlining Energy Efficiency for 
Schools Act aims to provide a coordinating structure for schools to 
help them better navigate available Federal programs and financing 
options.
  This legislation doesn't spend an additional dime and keeps 
decisionmaking authority with the States, with the school boards, and 
with the local officials.
  The bill establishes a clearinghouse through the Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which will disseminate information on 
Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to develop 
energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting 
projects for schools.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding and for his 
assistance in this matter.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I will inquire if the 
gentleman from Maryland is prepared to close, as I am.
  Mr. SARBANES. I am prepared to close.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
Congressman Cartwright's bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues across 
the aisle, and I urge the approval of this.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4092, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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