Energy and environmental aficionados are taking note of Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) new bill to improve energy efficiency in federal government buildings. The bill, Promoting Efficiency and Savings in Government Act (S. 52), would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to conduct energy audits on buildings to identify ways to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs and ways to pay for themselves within 10 years as well as calculate costs that could be saved. GSA would then have to report to Congress and the public within a year on the energy and cost savings tied to improving efficiency. They would then set minimum energy-intensity and lighting-efficiency standards, and record energy and water-efficiency information for all building leases entered into by the federal government.
Senator Boxer also wrote a letter to Matt Erskine, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Economic Development Administration saying that a future program could be modeled after the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), but called BIFIA for buildings. She said the program could help communities “invest in clean technologies that reduce energy demands, lower energy bills, and promote more durable energy systems”.
The Environmental Protection Agency say on their website, energy used by commercial and industrial buildings in the United States is responsible for nearly 50% of our national emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to global climate change. BIFIA could make a real difference to local governments if, through future legislation, they can achieve substantial energy cost savings across their facilities, demonstrate energy and environmental leadership, and raise public awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency to reduce GHG emissions.
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