[House Report 110-173]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    110-173
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                   GREEN ENERGY EDUCATION ACT OF 2007

                                _______
                                

  June 5, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and orderedto be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, from the Committee on Science and Technology, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1716]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Science and Technology, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1716) to authorize highereducation curriculum 
development and graduate training in advanced energy and green 
building technologies,having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill 
asamended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
   I. Amendment......................................................00
  II. Purpose of the Bill............................................00
 III. Background and Need for the Legislation........................00
  IV. Hearing Summary................................................00
   V. Committee Actions..............................................00
  VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill........................00
VII.  Section-by-Section Analysis (by Title and Section).............00
VIII. Committee Views................................................00
  IX. Cost Estimate..................................................00
   X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate......................00
 2XI. Compliance with Public Law 104-4...............................00
 XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations...............00
XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives..........00
 XIV. Constitutional Authority Statement.............................00
  XV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement...........................00
 XVI. Congressional Accountability Act...............................00
XVII. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law.........00
XVIII.Earmark Identification.........................................00

 XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported..........00
  XX. Committee Recommendations......................................00
 XXI. Proceedings of the Full Committee Markup.......................00

                              I. AMENDMENT

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

                        SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Green Energy Education Act of 2007''.

                          SEC. 2. DEFINITION.

  For the purposes of this Act:
          (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Science Foundation.
          (2) High performance building.--The term ``high performance 
        building'' has the meaning given thatterm in section 914(a) of 
        the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16194(a)).
          (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Energy.

     SEC. 3. GRADUATE TRAINING IN ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

  (a) Funding.--In carrying out research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial applicationactivities authorized for the Department of 
Energy, the Secretary may contribute funds to the NationalScience 
Foundation for the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
Traineeship program to supportprojects that enable graduate education 
related to such activities.
  (b) Consultation.--The Director shall consult with the Secretary when 
preparing solicitations andawarding grants for projects described in 
subsection (a).

  SEC. 4. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING DESIGN.

  (a) Funding.--In carrying out advanced energy technology research, 
development, demonstration, andcommercial application activities 
authorized for the Department of Energy related to high 
performancebuildings, the Secretary may contribute funds to curriculum 
development activities at the National ScienceFoundation for the 
purpose of improving undergraduate or graduate interdisciplinary 
engineering andarchitecture education related to the design and 
construction of high performance buildings, includingdevelopment of 
curricula, of laboratory activities, of training practicums, or of 
design projects. A primarygoal of curriculum development activities 
supported under this section shall be to improve the ability 
ofengineers, architects, landscape architects, and planners to work 
together on the incorporation of advancedenergy technologies during the 
design and construction of high performance buildings.
  (b) Consultation.--The Director shall consult with the Secretary when 
preparing solicitations andawarding grants for projects described in 
subsection (a).
  (c) Priority.--In awarding grants with respect to which the Secretary 
has contributed funds underthis section, the Director shall give 
priority to applications from departments, programs, or centers of 
aschool of engineering that are partnered with schools, departments, or 
programs of design, architecture, andcity, regional, or urban planning.

                              II. PURPOSE

    The purpose of this bill is to authorize higher education 
curriculum development and graduate training in advanced energy 
and green building technologies.

              III. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

    Affordable, clean energy is essential to the Nation's 
continued prosperity. The legislation addresses a significant 
opportunity for energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions 
reductions: energy consumption in buildings. According to 
Department of Energy (DOE) 2003 statistics, buildings consume 
more energy than any other sector of the economy, including 
industrial processes and transportation. Buildings consume 39 
percent of primary energy in the United States and 70 percent 
of electricity. Innovations in high-performance building 
technologies, materials, techniques and systems, combined with 
advances in photovoltaic and other distributed clean energy 
technologies, have the potential to dramatically transform the 
pattern of energy consumption associated with buildings. These 
building systems and components-coupled with a whole building 
approach that optimizes the interactions among building systems 
and components-enable buildings to use considerably less 
energy, while also helping to meet national goals for 
sustainable development, environmental protection, and energy 
security. But achieving this depends on architects, engineers, 
contractors and other buildings professionals working together 
from the earliest stages of planning. The legislation would 
provide interdisciplinary education and training in high-
performance building design and construction to the next 
generation of architects and engineers.

                          IV. HEARING SUMMARY

    On November 2, 2005, the Subcommittee on Energy of the 
Committee on Science held a hearing on ``Winning Teams and 
Innovative Technologies from the 2005 Solar Decathlon''. 
Appearing as witnesses were (1) Mr. Richard F. Moorer, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Technology Development, Office of 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, DOE; (2) Mr. David G. 
Schieren, Graduate Student and Energy Team Leader, Energy 
Management, New York Institute of Technology; (3) Mr. Jeffrey 
R. Lyng, Graduate Student and Team Project Manager, Civil, 
Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of 
Colorado; (4) Mr. Jonathan R. Knowles, Professor and Team 
Advisor, Department of Architecture, Rhode Island School of 
Design; and (5) Mr. Robert P. Schubert, Professor and Team 
Advisor, Department of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic 
Institute. The Solar Decathlon brings together architecture and 
engineering students to design and build a house that is scored 
for both its energy consumption and its aesthetics and 
functionality. One of the topics discussed by the panel, which 
included both architects and engineers, was the need for 
institutionalizing such collaboration between architecture and 
engineering departments on university campuses.

                          V. COMMITTEE ACTIONS

    As summarized in Section IV of this report, the 
Subcommittee on Energy heard testimony in the 109th Congress 
relevant to the programs authorized in H.R. 1716.
    On March 9, 2007, Representative Michael McCaul, for 
himself and Representatives Hill, Ehlers, Schwartz and 
McCotter, introduced H.R. 1716, the ``Green Energy Education 
Act of 2007,'' to authorize higher education curriculum 
development and graduate training in advanced energy and green 
building technologies.
    On May 23, 2007, the Committee on Science and Technology 
met to consider H.R. 1716 and ordered the bill reported 
favorably.

              VI. SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE BILL

    Authorizes the Department of Energy and the National 
Science Foundation to collaborate on the solicitation and 
funding of grants to institutions of higher education for 
education and training in clean energy and high-performance 
building design.

              VII. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE BILL

    Sec. 1. Short Title.--``Green Energy Education Act of 
2007''
    Sec. 2. Definitions.--Provides definitions for terms used 
in this Act
    Sec. 3. Graduate Training in Energy Research and 
Development.--Authorizes Department of Energy (DOE) to 
contribute funds to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) 
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) 
program in support of projects related to energy research, 
development, demonstration and commercial application. IGERT 
awards prepare doctoral students by integrating research and 
education in innovative ways that are tailored to the unique 
requirements of newly emerging interdisciplinary fields and new 
career options.
    Sec. 4. Curriculum Development for High Performance 
Building Design.--Authorizes DOE's high performance buildings 
technologies programs to contribute to NSF's ongoing curriculum 
development activities for the purpose of improving 
undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary engineering and 
architecture education related to the design and construction 
of high performance buildings. Requires the Director of NSF to 
consult with the Secretary of Energy in awarding grants for 
this purpose. Gives priority to applications for schools, 
departments, or programs of engineering that are partnered with 
schools, departments or programs of design, architecture and 
city, regional, or urban planning.

                         VIII. COMMITTEE VIEWS

    The Committee intends this bill to promote broad 
collaboration between universities and DOE applied energy 
technology programs. The Committee expects that the funding DOE 
provides to NSF for IGERT grants under this Act will come 
primarily from the fossil, nuclear, electricity delivery and 
energy reliability, and energy efficiency and renewable energy 
programs. The Committee does not intend for the energy 
technology offices to shift their responsibility for partnering 
with universities to cultivate the next generation of energy 
technology experts to the Office of Science.

                           IX. COST ESTIMATE

    A cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely submitted to 
the Committee on Science and Technology prior to the filing of 
this report and is included in Section X of this report 
pursuant to House Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(3).
    H.R. 1716 does not contain new budget authority, credit 
authority, or changes in revenues or tax expenditures. Assuming 
that the sums authorized under the bill are appropriated, H.R. 
1716 does authorize additional discretionary spending, as 
described in the Congressional Budget Office report on the 
bill, which is contained in Section X of this report.

              X. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

H.R. 1716--Green Energy Education Act of 2007

    H.R. 1716 would authorize the Secretary of Energy to 
transfer funds to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for 
undergraduate and graduate education programs related to energy 
research and development and the design and construction of 
high-performance buildings. High-performance buildings, as 
defined by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, are those that 
optimize energy efficiency, durability, life-cycle performance, 
and occupants' productivity. CBO estimates that implementing 
H.R. 1716 would have no significant cost over the next five 
years. Enacting this legislation would not affect revenues and 
would have no significant impact on direct spending.
    Section 3 would authorize the Secretary to transfer funds 
to NSF's Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
Traineeship (IGERT) program. IGERT is an NSF-wide effort to 
provide funding to universities that offer stipend support and 
tuition allowances to students in science and engineering. 
Currently, NSF plans to allocate about $67 million to IGERT in 
2007. Under the bill, any funds transferred to IGERT would be 
used for activities related to energy research and development.
    Section 4 would provide similar authority to the Secretary 
of Energy to transfer funds to NSF programs that improve 
undergraduate and graduate education in engineering and 
architecture. Funds transferred under this authority would be 
used to develop curricula, implement laboratory activities and 
training, and design projects related to the design and 
construction of high-performance buildings.
    While H.R. 1716 would provide the authority to transfer 
funds from the Department of Energy to NSF, the bill would not 
authorize any additional appropriations and thus would not 
affect the total amount available to be spent. CBO expects that 
the transfer of any funds under the legislation would not 
significantly change the rate of expenditure of those funds-
either of funds already appropriated (which would be direct 
spending) or of sums that would be appropriated in the future. 
As such, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1716 would have 
no significant effect on outlays over the next five years.
    H.R. 1716 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The 
bill would benefit public institutions of higher education that 
participate in activities to develop undergraduate and graduate 
curricula for interdisciplinary engineering and architecture 
education. Any costs those institutions might incur would 
result from complying with conditions of federal assistance.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Daniel Hoople. 
This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                  XI. COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    H.R. 1716 contains no unfunded mandates.

         XII. COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    The oversight findings and recommendations of the Committee 
on Science and Technology are reflected in the body of this 
report.

      XIII. STATEMENT ON GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    Pursuant to clause (3)(c) of House rule XIII, the goals of 
H.R. 1716 are to support higher education curriculum 
development and graduate training in advanced energy and green 
building technologies.

                XIV. CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact H.R. 1716.

                XV. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    H.R. 1716 does not establish nor authorize the 
establishment of any advisory committee.

                 XVI. CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

    The Committee finds that H.R. 1716 does not relate to the 
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services 
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of 
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

                      XVII. EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

    H.R. 1716 does not contain any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of Rule XXI.

     XVIII. STATEMENT ON PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or 
tribal law.

       XIX. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    None.

                     XX. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

    On May 23, 2007, the Committee on Science and Technology 
favorably reported H.R. 1716 and recommended its enactment.


 XXI. PROCEEDINGS OF THE FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP ON H.R. 1716, THE GREEN 
                      ENERGY EDUCATION ACT OF 2007

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2007

                  House of Representatives,
                       Committee on Science and Technology,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:10 a.m., in Room 
2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Bart Gordon 
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
    Chairman Gordon. Good morning everyone. The Committee on 
Science and Technology will come to order. Pursuant to notice, 
the Committee meets to consider the following measures: H.R. 
364, To provide for the establishment of the Advanced Research 
Projects Agency-Energy; H.R. 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 
Act; H.R. 1716, the Green Energy Education of 2007; and H.R. 
632, the H-Prize Act of 2007.
    Before we get started with this markup though, we have one 
quick piece of Committee business to attend to. The 
distinguished Member from California, Mr. Calvert, recently 
took a leave of absence from the Committee to serve on 
Appropriations. This left the Space and Aeronautics 
Subcommittee without a Ranking Member. Last week Mr. Hall 
announced that Representative Feeney would take over as Ranking 
Member of the Subcommittee, and I now ask unanimous consent 
that the Committee on Science and Technology ratify the 
selection of Mr. Feeney as Ranking Member of the Space and 
Aeronautics Subcommittee. Without objection----
    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, do you have to be present to be 
proposed or----
    Chairman Gordon. Well, I am considering that no objection 
and--or may I say, I consider that a slight objection and it is 
so ordered. I want to congratulate Mr. Feeney.
    Let me also say that Ken Calvert--I was Ranking Member of 
this committee and Ken did much more than I did. He made an 
effort to go to every facility all across the country and 
became very knowledgeable and we hope that he will be a 
continuing asset and I am sure that Mr. Feeney will also do a 
good job, but Ken did a particularly good job and hopefully he 
will be there on Appropriations to understand these issues.
    We now begin with the markup and I will begin with a brief 
statement. Today the Committee is marking up four bills. The 
first bill we will consider is a bill that I introduced, H.R. 
364, which establishes the Advanced Research Project Agency for 
Energy, and in the Subcommittee hearing and in the markup we 
had a very healthy discussion that I believe pointed to the 
critical need for such an entity. We have worked hard with our 
friends from across the aisle, and while there are still a few 
differences, it has resulted in a better bill. It is my 
understanding that this discussion will continue today with a 
number of amendments, and I look forward to addressing those 
concerns.
    The next bill we will take up is H.R. 1467, the 10,000 
Trained by 2010 Act, introduced by Chairman Wu. This is a good 
bill which I support. There has been a lot of talking in 
Washington about the need to push health care IT forward. Our 
medical system is far behind other sectors in the use of 
information technology. However, it is common knowledge that 
information technology could significantly improve patient care 
and reduce health care costs, and let me just collaterally say 
that I have just introduced H.R. 2406. It is a health care IT 
bill that will be in the jurisdiction of this committee. As I 
think Mr. Gingerich can tell you, it is going to be wildly 
popular within the health care area, doctors, physicians, 
everyone. Health care IT or IT in the health care area is one 
of the few areas that hasn't really matured. It is so popular 
that Newt Gingerich and Hillary Clinton are supporting this 
concept and so I would suggest to all of you to take a look at 
it. Don't get involved if you don't want to but I think you 
will find that it will be something that is going to be a good 
bill and will be popular for you.
    And we also have H.R. 1716, the Green Energy Education Act 
of 2007. It was introduced by Mr. McCaul, and H.R. 1716 raises 
the profile of a very important issue, university research and 
education on clean energy including energy efficiency and green 
building design and technologies. It would bring together the 
Department of Energy, a emission agency, and the National 
Science Foundation, which has a long history with science and 
technological education, in a common goal to help educate the 
next generation of energy technology experts and green building 
professionals. This bill helps meet a very important need, and 
I thank Mr. McCaul for bringing it to the Committee, and who 
would have known he would have been such a greenie. But we 
thank you. This is a good bill.
    We also will consider Mr. Lipinski's and Mr. Inglis' H.R. 
362, the H-Prize Act of 2007. Hydrogen technology represents 
just the type of transformational possibilities that we are 
hoping to achieve with ARPA-E and may some day make an 
important piece of our energy puzzle, and I commend our 
colleagues, Mr. Inglis and Mr. Lipinski, for working together 
to make this a good bipartisan bill and I look forward to 
moving it through the Committee today.
    So these are the four good bills that we have before us and 
I now would like to recognize Mr. Hall to present his opening 
remarks.
    [The prepared statement of Chairman Gordon follows:]
               Prepared Statement of Chairman Bart Gordon
    Today the Committee is meeting to markup four bills.
    The first bill we will consider today is a bill that I introduced, 
H.R. 364, which establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency for 
Energy. In the Subcommittee hearing and markup we had a very healthy 
discussion that, I believe, pointed to the critical need for such an 
entity.
    We have worked hard with our friends across the aisle. And, while 
there are still substantial differences, it has resulted in a better 
bill. It is my understanding that this discussion will continue today 
with a number of amendments, and I look forward to addressing your 
concerns.
    The next bill we will take up is H. R. 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 
2010 Act introduced by Chairman Wu. This is a good bill which I 
support.
    There has been a lot of talk in Washington about the need to push 
health care IT forward. Our medical system is far behind other sectors 
in the use of information technology. However, it is common knowledge 
that information technology could significantly improve patient care 
and reduce health care costs.
    While there has been a lot of discussion on the issue in Congress, 
not much has actually been done. In this case, Chairman Wu and other 
Members of the Committee have identified one component of the issue and 
how the Science and Technology Committee could make a real and positive 
contribution in this area.
    I strongly support this legislation and would urge everyone on the 
Committee to do so as well.
    H.R. 1716, the Green Energy Education Act of 2007, was reintroduced 
by Mr. McCaul this year after having passed the House as part of a 
broader bipartisan Science Committee Energy R&D bill at the end of the 
109th Congress.
    H.R. 1716 raises the profile of a very important issue--university 
research and education on clean energy, including energy efficiency and 
green building design and technologies. It would bring together the 
Department of Energy, a mission agency, and the National Science 
Foundation, which has a long history with science and technology 
education, in a common goal to help educate the next generation of 
energy technology experts and green building professionals.
    This bill helps meet a very important need and I thank Mr. McCaul 
for bringing it to the Committee.
    We will also consider by Mr. Lipinski, H.R. 632, the H-Prize Act of 
2007. Hydrogen technologies represent just the type of transformational 
possibilities that we are hoping to achieve with ARPA-E, and may some 
day make up an important piece of our energy puzzle.
    I commend my colleagues Mr. Inglis and Mr. Lipinski for working 
together and for working hard to make this a good, bipartisan bill. I 
look forward to moving it through Committee today.
    These are four good bills, and I strongly encourage my colleagues 
to support all of them.

    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, you and I have been working 
together now for over 22 years and on the same side of the 
aisle for most of that time, and if it weren't for me switching 
parties you might not even be Chairman right now, and I have 
been talked to by 4/5 of you bunch asking me to switch back. A 
good group on both sides. I appreciate everybody on both sides 
of the Chairman here, and you can thank me later if you would 
like.
    When you work with someone as long as we have, not only on 
this committee but also on the Commerce Committee--we are on 
that Committee together--there are bound to be some times when 
we are going to disagree, and as much as I dislike going 
against my friend from Tennessee, sometimes it just happens. As 
it turns out, today is one of those days. While I commend you, 
Bart, for your efforts on behalf of boosting energy R&D, I 
disagree with the way H.R. 364 does it. I have to say that I 
have a problem with the idea of creating a new bureaucracy 
within the Department of Energy that will regardless of 
intention fight for money with existing and future programs at 
DOE. With the tight budget parameters we are working with, I am 
not comfortable authorizing the creation of ARPA-E based on a 
vague recommendation that was in the Gathering Storm report. 
The facts are that DOE currently has the authority to do ARPA-
type projects but DOE is woefully under-funded. I am concerned 
that we could be faced with the problem of having both the 
Office of Science and ARPA-E underfunded so that neither of 
them is operating at full potential if we go forward with the 
creation of this new agency, and before we go forward with any 
ARPA-type projects, I would like the Section 1821 study in 
EPAct to be completed that looks at the applicability of the 
DARPA management practices and the advisability of creating a 
DARPA-type agency within DOE before we move toward this 
legislation, and to that end, I will be introducing an 
amendment that without creating a new bureaucracy would require 
the Secretary of Energy to identify and accelerate advanced 
research projects at the DOE that will address our energy 
needs. I along with several of my colleagues have sent a letter 
to the Secretary urging him to complete the study as mandated 
by law so that we all might benefit from its recommendations.
    In addition to the letter, we also ask the Secretary to 
appoint a technology transfer coordinator and establish the 
technology transfer working group. As several of our witnesses 
testified to in our committee hearing, technology transfer 
plays a very integral part in the process from basic research 
to widespread commercialization. I don't think anyone would 
dispute that our country needs clean, affordable, reliable 
energy that is generated through research and development. This 
committee should continue to advance legislation that addresses 
our most critical energy needs in a fiscally responsible 
manner. To that end, I will be introducing legislation by the 
end of the week that will help accomplish these goals.
    In addition to the ARPA-E legislation, we will also be 
marking up H.R. 1467, H.R. 1716 and H.R. 632. I am an original 
co-sponsor of H.R. 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act, and I 
am supportive of the primary goal it seeks to achieve. If 
implemented correctly and efficiently, health information 
technology can revolutionize our health care system but we have 
to have an educated workforce properly trained in health IT in 
order for it to be successful, and this is what H.R. 1467 is 
about. NSF is already doing work, yeoman's work in the IT arena 
but this measure will increase the focus on health IT. I 
encourage my colleagues to support it.
    I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1716, the Green Energy 
Education Act of 2007, introduced by my fellow Texan, Mr. 
McCaul. This is a good piece of legislation. It was voted out 
of this committee in the last Congress. The fact that it has 
also been included in larger packages on both sides of the 
aisle in this Congress indicates its overwhelming support. 
Simply put, this measure encourages the Department of Energy to 
work with the National Science Foundation to help develop the 
next generation of engineers and architects to work effectively 
together to produce buildings that will incorporate the latest 
in energy-efficient technologies. I commend Mr. McCaul for his 
fine work on this bill.
    Finally, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 632, the H-
Prize Act, sponsored by Inglis and Lipinski. This legislation 
was introduced in the last Congress and passed overwhelmingly 
by the House of Representatives. This bill directs the 
Secretary of Energy to award competitive cash prizes biannually 
to advance the research, development, demonstration and 
commercial applications of hydrogen energy technologies. 
Categories eligible for prizes include advancements in certain 
hydrogen components or systems, prototypes of hydrogen-powered 
vehicles and transformational changes in the technologies for 
hydrogen distribution or production. I commend Mr. Inglis and 
Mr. Lipinski for introducing this legislation and I encourage 
my colleagues to support it.
    Once again, Mr. Chairman, I am happy to be supportive of 
these three bipartisan pieces of legislation. I look forward to 
working with you to advance these bills.
    I yield back my time, sir.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Hall follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Representative Ralph M. Hall
    Mr. Chairman, you and I have been working together for over 22 
years now--and on the same side of the aisle for most of that time. 
Why, if it weren't for me switching parties, you might not be the 
chairman right now! You can thank me later. . .. When you work with 
someone as long as we have, not only on this committee, but also on the 
Commerce Committee, there are bound to be times when we're going to 
disagree, and as much as I dislike going against my good friend from 
Tennessee, sometimes it just happens. As it turns out, today is one of 
those days. While I commend my friend for his efforts on behalf of 
boosting energy R&D, I disagree with the way H.R. 364 does it. I have 
to say that I have a problem with the idea of creating a new 
bureaucracy within the Department of Energy that will, regardless of 
intention, fight for money with existing and future programs at DOE. 
With the tight budget parameters we are working with, I am not 
comfortable authorizing the creation of ARPA-E based on a vague 
recommendation that was in the Gathering Storm report.
    The facts are that DOE currently has the authority to do ARPA-type 
projects, but DOE is woefully under funded. I am concerned that we 
could be faced with the problem of having both the Office of Science 
and ARPA-E under funded so that neither of them is operating at its 
full potential if we go forward with creating this new agency. Before 
we go forward with any ARPA-type projects, I would like the Section 
1821 study in EPACT to be completed that looks at the applicability of 
the DARPA management
    practices and the advisability of creating a DARPA-type agency 
within DOE before moving forward with legislation. To that end I will 
be introducing an amendment that, without creating a new bureaucracy, 
would require the Secretary of Energy to identify and accelerate 
advanced research projects at the DOE that will address our energy 
needs. I, along with several of my colleagues, have sent a letter to 
the Secretary urging him to complete the study as mandated by law so 
that we all may benefit from its recommendations. In addition, in the 
letter we also ask the Secretary to appoint the Technology Transfer 
Coordinator and establish the Technology Transfer Working Group. As 
several of our witnesses testified to in our Subcommittee hearing, 
technology transfer plays an integral part in the process from basic 
research to widespread commercialization.
    I don't think anyone would dispute that our country needs clean, 
affordable, reliable energy that is generated through research and 
development. This committee should continue to advance legislation that 
addresses our most critical energy needs in a fiscally responsible 
manner. To that end, I will be introducing legislation by the end of 
this week that will help accomplish these goals.
    In addition to the ARPA-E legislation we will also be marking up 
H.R. 1467, H.R. 1716, and H.R. 632. I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 
1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act, and am supportive of the primary 
goal it seeks to achieve. If implemented correctly and efficiently, 
health information technology (IT) can revolutionize our health care 
system. But, we must have an educated workforce, properly trained in 
health IT, in order for it to be successful. This is what H.R. 1467 is 
about. NSF is already doing work yeoman's work in the IT arena, but 
this measure will increase the focus on health IT. I encourage my 
colleagues to support it.
    I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1716, the Green Energy 
Education Act of 2007, introduced my fellow Texan, Mr. McCaul. This is 
a good piece of legislation that was voted out of this committee in the 
last Congress. The fact that it is also being included in larger energy 
packages on both sides of the aisle in this Congress indicates its 
overwhelming support. Simply put, this measure encourages the 
Department of Energy to work with the National Science Foundation to 
help develop the next generation of engineers and architects to work 
effectively together to produce buildings that incorporate the latest 
in energy efficient technologies. I commend Mr. McCaul for his fine 
work on this bill.
    Finally, I also urge my colleagues to support H.R. 632, the H-Prize 
Act sponsored by Inglis and Lipinski. This legislation was introduced 
in the last Congress and passed overwhelmingly by the House of 
Representatives. The bill directs the Secretary of Energy to award 
competitive cash prizes biennially to advance the research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application of hydrogen 
energy technologies. Categories eligible for prizes include 
advancements in certain hydrogen components or systems, prototypes of 
hydrogen-powered vehicles, and transformational changes in technologies 
for hydrogen distribution or production. I commend Mr. Inglis and Mr. 
Lipinski for introducing this legislation, and I encourage my 
colleagues to support it.
    Once again, Mr. Chairman, I am happy to be supportive of these 
three bipartisan pieces of legislation and look forward to working with 
you to advance these bills. I yield back the balance of my time.

    Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Hall. As you have pointed 
out, we have had a good working relationship and I will point 
out that every bill that has come out of this committee has 
been unanimous and the only--one bill received 21 negative 
votes on the Floor. That is the worst we have done on the 
Floor. We are going to have I hope three unanimous bills today 
and I think the reason that we have been able to do this is, we 
have started with good bills. We have had extensive 
consultation and by making better bills. At the end of the day 
we are going to have our first disagreement but I think two 
things will happen: We are going to have amendments today that 
will make the bill even better and I think at the end of the 
day that it will be a bipartisan bill but it won't be a 
unanimous bill, and we will try to proceed without kicking or 
scratching and we will get this done. So without objection, 
Members may place statements in the record at this point.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Mitchell follows:]
         Prepared Statement of Representative Harry E. Mitchell
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Today we are considering several bills to decrease our dependence 
on foreign oil and encourage renewable sources of energy.
    As the world leader in emissions of greenhouse gasses, it is 
imperative that we as a nation actively pursue the means to reduce 
those emissions. We have an obligation to lead the world toward a 
solution. One way to accomplish this is to invest in alternative energy 
sources.
    The bills before us today would put in place necessary components 
to take us where we need to be as a nation including education and 
training, monetary incentives, and fast acting, responsive research 
programs.
    The United States must lead by example and invest in clean, 
renewable energy sources.
    Today, we are considering several bills to address this issue and I 
look forward to working on them.
    Sustainable energy is an issue that affects our environment, our 
economy, and our national security, and we cannot leave this problem 
for future generations of Americans to solve.
    I yield back the balance of my time.

    Chairman Gordon. We will now consider H.R. 1716, the Green 
Energy Education Act of 2007.
    I recognize Mr. McCaul for five minutes to describe the 
bill.
    Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to first thank 
you for including my bill in today's markup and commend you for 
your bipartisan leadership on this committee. And I also want 
to thank Mr. Hill for working on this legislation.
    My hometown of Austin, Texas, is a green energy kind of 
town, and I am proud of that. Like many other Members of this 
committee I am concerned about America's dependence on foreign 
sources of energy. One of the ways that we can reduce the need 
for energy imports is to use our energy more efficiently. 
Buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the 
economy, including industry and transportation. According to 
the U.S. Department of Energy U.S. buildings consume 39 percent 
of our nation's primary energy and 70 percent of electricity.
    However, energy efficient building practices are still at 
the fringes of the building sector, in part because of the lack 
of awareness about energy efficient technologies and design 
practices among building professionals. That is why I 
introduced the Green Energy Education Act. This legislation 
authorizes the Department of Energy to partner with the 
National Science Foundation to support graduate education and 
curriculum development to advance DOE's broad energy technology 
development mission.
    Working through NSF, DOE will help develop the next 
generation of engineers and architects to produce buildings 
incorporating the latest in energy efficient technologies. In 
order to reduce the likelihood of duplicative and wasteful 
programs, this bill allows the Department of Energy and 
National Science Foundation to combine their efforts to find 
workable solutions to the issues surrounding building 
efficiency that can be transferred to the marketplace.
    Specifically, H.R. 1716 will authorize DOE's Office of 
Science and Applied Energy Technology Programs to contribute 
funds to NSF's successful Integrative Graduate Education and 
Research Training Program, which is already doing great work in 
this area.
    This bill also authorizes the Department of Energy to 
contribute to NSF's curriculum development activities in order 
to improve the ability of engineers and architects to design 
and construct more efficient and durable buildings.
    I urge my colleagues to support this important step towards 
increasing America's energy independence, and I yield back.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. McCaul follows:]
         Prepared Statement of Representative Michael T. McCaul
    I would like to thank you for including this bill in today's markup 
and would also like to thank Mr. Hill for working with me on this 
legislation.
    Like many other Members of this committee, I am concerned about 
America's dependence on foreign sources of energy. One of the ways that 
we can reduce the need for energy imports is to use our energy more 
efficiently.
    Buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the economy, 
including industry and transportation. According to U.S. Department of 
Energy, U.S. buildings consume 39 percent of our nation's primary 
energy and 70 percent of electricity. However, energy efficient 
building practices are still at the fringes of the building sector, in 
part because of a lack of awareness about energy efficient technologies 
and design practices among building professionals.
    This is why I introduced the Green Energy Education Act. This 
legislation authorizes DOE to partner with the National Science 
Foundation to support graduate education and curriculum development to 
advance DOE's broad energy technology development mission. Working 
through NSF, DOE will help develop the next generation of engineers and 
architects to produce buildings incorporating the latest in energy 
efficient technologies.
    In order to reduce the likelihood of duplicative and wasteful 
programs, this bill allows the Department of Energy and National 
Science Foundation to combine their efforts to find workable solutions 
to the issues surrounding building efficiency that can be transferred 
to the marketplace.
    Specifically, H.R. 1716 will authorize DOE's Office of Science and 
applied energy technology programs to contribute funds to NSF's 
successful Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship 
program, which is already doing good work in this area.
    This bill also authorizes the DOE to contribute to NSF's curriculum 
development activities, in order to improve the ability of engineers 
and architects to design and construct more efficient and durable 
buildings.
    I urge my colleagues to support this important step towards 
increasing America's energy independence.
    I yield back.

    Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. McCaul, and thank you for 
bringing us a good bill. We will get this to the Floor at the 
earlier possible time.
    Does anyone else wish to be recognized.
    I ask unanimous consent that the bill is considered as read 
and open to amendment at any point, and that the Members 
proceed with the amendments in the order of the roster. Without 
objection so ordered.
    The first amendment on the roster is offered by the 
gentleman from Texas, Mr. McCaul. Are you ready to proceed with 
your amendment?
    Mr. McCaul. I am, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the 
desk.
    Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendment.
    The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 1716 offered by Mr. McCaul of 
Texas.
    Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with 
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
    The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain the 
amendment.
    Mr. McCaul. I won't take nearly that amount of time. It is 
a very simple amendment that clarifies that landscape 
architects will be eligible for the programs created in this 
bill. By designing the environment around a building with the 
goal of energy efficiency in mind, landscape architects have 
helped find new and innovative ways of reducing energy 
consumption. Landscape architects clearly have an important 
role to play in the research that the Green Energy Education 
Act promotes.
    So I urge the adoption of this amendment, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. McCaul follows:]
         Prepared Statement of Representative Michael T. McCaul
    This is a very simple amendment that clarifies that landscape 
architects will be eligible for the programs created in this bill. By 
designing the environment around a building with the goal of energy 
efficiency in mind, landscape architects have helped find new and 
innovative ways of reducing energy consumption.
    Landscape architects clearly have an important role to play in the 
research that the Green Energy Education Act promotes, and so I urge 
the adoption of this amendment.
    I yield back the balance of my time.

    Chairman Gordon. Is there further discussion on the 
amendment? If not, the vote occurs on the amendment. All in 
favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it, and the 
amendment is agreed to.
    Are there other amendments? Hearing none, the vote is on 
the bill, H.R. 1716 as amended. All those in favor will say 
aye. All those opposed will say no. In the opinion of the Chair 
the ayes have it.
    I recognize Mr. Hall to offer a motion.
    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee favorably 
report H.R. 1716 as amended to the House with the 
recommendation that the bill do pass. Furthermore, I move that 
the staff be instructed to make necessary technical and 
conforming changes and that the Chairman take all the necessary 
steps to bring the bill before the House for consideration.
    I yield back.
    Chairman Gordon. The question is on the motion to report 
the bill favorably. Those in favor of the motion will signify 
by saying aye. Opposed no. The ayes have it. The bill is 
reported favorably.
    Without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the 
table. I move that Members have two subsequent calendar days in 
which to submit supplemental, minority, or additional views on 
the measure.
    I move pursuant to Clause 1 of Rule 22 of the House of 
Representatives that the Committee authorize the Chairman to 
offer such motions as may be necessary in the House to adopt 
and pass H.R. 1716, the Green Energy Education Act of 2007, as 
amended.
    Without objection, so ordered. Let me again, I want to 
thank the hard core for staying here. We have one more to go. 
We are going to have votes about 1:00. We are going to be right 
under the gun here.
    Many thanks to everyone, and I want to conclude this 
markup.
    [Whereupon, at 1:00 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
                               Appendix:

                              ----------                              


 H.R. 1716, Section-by-Section Analysis of H.R. 1716, Amendment Roster






               Section-by-Section Analysis of H.R. 1716,
                   Green Energy Education Act of 2007
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE--`Green Energy Education Act of 2007'

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS--Provides definitions for terms used in this Act.

SEC. 3. GRADUATE TRAINING IN ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT--
Authorizes Department of Energy (DOE) to contribute funds to the 
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and 
Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in support of projects related to 
energy research, development, demonstration and commercial application.

SEC. 4. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING DESIGN--
Authorizes DOE's high performance buildings technologies programs to 
contribute to NSF's ongoing curriculum development activities for the 
purpose of improving undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary 
engineering and architecture education related to the design and 
construction of high performance buildings. Requires the Director of 
NSF to consult with the Secretary of Energy in awarding grants for this 
purpose. Gives priority to applications for schools, departments, or 
programs of engineering that are partnered with schools, departments or 
programs of design, architecture and city, regional, or urban planning.


                                  
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