[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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