US Codex
Bill
Notes

Title I — Buildings

S. 2137 · 116th Congress · Jul 17, 2019 · Lineage

I Buildings

A Building Energy Codes

Sec. 101 Greater energy efficiency in building codes

(a)
Definitions— Section 303 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6832) is amended—
(1)
by striking paragraph (14) and inserting the following:

“(14) Model building energy code—The term model building energy code means a voluntary building energy code or standard developed and updated by interested persons, such as the code or standard developed by—

“(A) the Council of American Building Officials, or its legal successor, International Code Council, Inc.;

“(B) the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers; or

“(C) other appropriate organizations.”

(2)
by adding at the end the following:

“(17) IECC—The term IECC means the International Energy Conservation Code.

“(18) Indian tribe—The term Indian tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103).”

(b)
State building energy efficiency codes— Section 304 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6833) is amended to read as follows:

“304. Updating State building energy efficiency codes

“(a) Voluntary codes and standards—Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any model building code or standard established under section 304 shall not be binding on a State, local government, or Indian tribe as a matter of Federal law.

“(b) Action by Secretary—The Secretary shall—

“(1) encourage and support the adoption of building energy codes by States, Indian tribes, and, as appropriate, by local governments that meet or exceed the model building energy codes, or achieve equivalent or greater energy savings; and

“(2) support full compliance with the State and local codes.

“(c) State and Indian tribe certification of building energy code updates

“(1) Review and updating of codes by each State and Indian tribe

“(A) In general—Not later than 2 years after the date of publication of a revision to a model building energy code, each State or Indian tribe shall certify whether the State or Indian tribe, respectively, has reviewed and updated the energy provisions of the building code of the State or Indian tribe, respectively.

“(B) Demonstration—The certification shall include a demonstration of whether the energy savings for the code provisions that are in effect throughout the territory of the State or Indian tribe meet or exceed the energy savings of the updated model building energy code.

“(C) No model building energy code update—If a model building energy code is not updated by a target date established under section 307(b)(2)(E), each State or Indian tribe shall, not later than 2 years after the specified date, certify whether the State or Indian tribe, respectively, has reviewed and updated the energy provisions of the building code of the State or Indian tribe, respectively, to meet or exceed the target in section 307(b)(2).

“(2) Validation by Secretary—Not later than 90 days after a State or Indian tribe certification under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—

“(A) determine whether the code provisions of the State or Indian tribe, respectively, meet the criteria specified in paragraph (1); and

“(B) if the determination is positive, validate the certification.

“(d) Improvements in compliance with building energy codes

“(1) Requirement

“(A) In general—Not later than 3 years after the date of a certification under subsection (c), each State and Indian tribe shall certify whether the State and Indian tribe, respectively, has—

“(i) achieved full compliance under paragraph (3) with the applicable certified State and Indian tribe building energy code or with the associated model building energy code; or

“(ii) made significant progress under paragraph (4) toward achieving compliance with the applicable certified State and Indian tribe building energy code or with the associated model building energy code.

“(B) Repeat certifications—If the State or Indian tribe certifies progress toward achieving compliance, the State or Indian tribe shall repeat the certification until the State or Indian tribe certifies that the State or Indian tribe has achieved full compliance, respectively.

“(2) Measurement of compliance—A certification under paragraph (1) shall include documentation of the rate of compliance based on—

“(A) independent inspections of a random sample of the buildings covered by the code in the preceding year; or

“(B) an alternative method that yields an accurate measure of compliance.

“(3) Achievement of compliance—A State or Indian tribe shall be considered to achieve full compliance under paragraph (1) if—

“(A) at least 90 percent of building space covered by the code in the preceding year substantially meets all the requirements of the applicable code specified in paragraph (1), or achieves equivalent or greater energy savings level; or

“(B) the estimated excess energy use of buildings that did not meet the applicable code specified in paragraph (1) in the preceding year, compared to a baseline of comparable buildings that meet this code, is not more than 5 percent of the estimated energy use of all buildings covered by this code during the preceding year.

“(4) Significant progress toward achievement of compliance—A State or Indian tribe shall be considered to have made significant progress toward achieving compliance for purposes of paragraph (1) if the State or Indian tribe—

“(A) has developed and is implementing a plan for achieving compliance during the 8-year-period beginning on the date of enactment of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2019, including annual targets for compliance and active training and enforcement programs; and

“(B) has met the most recent target under subparagraph (A).

“(5) Validation by Secretary—Not later than 90 days after a State or Indian tribe certification under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—

“(A) determine whether the State or Indian tribe has demonstrated meeting the criteria of this subsection, including accurate measurement of compliance; and

“(B) if the determination is positive, validate the certification.

“(e) States or Indian tribes that do not achieve compliance

“(1) Reporting—A State or Indian tribe that has not made a certification required under subsection (c) or (d) by the applicable deadline shall submit to the Secretary a report describing—

“(A) the status of the State or Indian tribe with respect to meeting the requirements and submitting the certification; and

“(B) a plan for meeting the requirements and submitting the certification.

“(2) Federal support—For any State or Indian tribe for which the Secretary has not validated a certification by a deadline under subsection (c) or (d), the lack of the certification may be a consideration for Federal support authorized under this section for code adoption and compliance activities.

“(3) Local government—In any State or Indian tribe for which the Secretary has not validated a certification under subsection (c) or (d), a local government may be eligible for Federal support under subsections (f) and (g) by meeting the certification requirements of subsections (c) and (d).

“(4) Reports by Secretary

“(A) In general—Not later than December 31, 2020, and not less frequently than once every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and publish a report describing—

“(i) the status of model building energy codes;

“(ii) the status of code adoption and compliance in the States and Indian tribes;

“(iii) implementation of this section; and

“(iv) improvements in energy savings over time as result of the targets established under section 307(b)(2).

“(B) Impacts—The report shall include estimates of impacts of past action under this section, and potential impacts of further action, on—

“(i) upfront financial and construction costs, cost benefits and returns (using investment analysis), and lifetime energy use for buildings;

“(ii) resulting energy costs to individuals and businesses; and

“(iii) resulting overall annual building ownership and operating costs.

“(f) Technical assistance to States and Indian tribes—The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to States and Indian tribes to implement the goals and requirements of this section, including procedures and technical analysis for States and Indian tribes—

“(1) to improve and implement State residential and commercial building energy codes;

“(2) to demonstrate that the code provisions of the States and Indian tribes achieve equivalent or greater energy savings than the model building energy codes and targets;

“(3) to document the rate of compliance with a building energy code; and

“(4) to otherwise promote the design and construction of energy- and water-efficient buildings.

“(g) Availability of incentive funding

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall provide incentive funding to States and Indian tribes—

“(A) to implement the requirements of this section;

“(B) to improve and implement residential and commercial building energy codes, including increasing and verifying compliance with the codes and training of State, tribal, and local building code officials to implement and enforce the codes; and

“(C) to promote building energy and water efficiency through the use of the codes and standards.

“(2) Additional funding—Additional funding shall be provided under this subsection for implementation of a plan to achieve and document full compliance with residential and commercial building energy codes under subsection (d)—

“(A) to a State or Indian tribe for which the Secretary has validated a certification under subsection (c) or (d); and

“(B) in a State or Indian tribe that is not eligible under subparagraph (A), to a local government that is eligible under this section.

“(3) Training—Of the amounts made available under this subsection, the State or Indian tribe may use amounts required, but not to exceed $750,000 for a State, to train State and local building code officials to implement and enforce codes described in paragraph (2).

“(4) Local governments—States may share grants under this subsection with local governments that implement and enforce the codes.

“(h) Stretch codes and advanced standards

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall provide technical and financial support for the development of stretch codes and advanced standards for residential and commercial buildings for use as—

“(A) an option for adoption as a building energy code by local, tribal, or State governments; and

“(B) guidelines for energy-efficient building design.

“(2) Targets—The stretch codes and advanced standards shall be designed—

“(A) to achieve substantial energy savings compared to the model building energy codes; and

“(B) to meet targets under section 307(b), if available, at least 3 to 6 years in advance of the target years.

“(i) Studies—The Secretary, in consultation with building science experts from the National Laboratories and institutions of higher education, designers and builders of energy-efficient residential and commercial buildings, code officials, code and standards developers, and other stakeholders, shall undertake a study of the feasibility, impact, economics, and merit of—

“(1) code and standards improvements that would require that buildings be designed, sited, and constructed in a manner that makes the buildings more adaptable in the future to become zero-net-energy after initial construction, as advances are achieved in energy-saving technologies;

“(2) code procedures to incorporate measured lifetimes, not just first-year energy use, in trade-offs and performance calculations;

“(3) legislative options for increasing energy savings from building energy codes and standards, including additional incentives for effective State and local action, and verification of compliance with and enforcement of a code or standard other than by a State or local government; and

“(4) code and standards improvements that consider energy efficiency and water efficiency and, to the maximum extent practicable, consider energy efficiency and water efficiency in an integrated manner.

“(j) Effect on other laws—Nothing in this section or section 307 supersedes or modifies the application of sections 321 through 346 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6291 et seq.).

“(k) Authorization of appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section and section 307 $200,000,000, to remain available until expended.”

(c)
Federal building energy efficiency standards— Section 305 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6834) is amended by striking “voluntary building energy code” each place it appears in subsections (a)(2)(B) and (b) and inserting “model building energy code”.
(d)
Model building energy codes— Section 307 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6836) is amended to read as follows:

“307. Support for model building energy codes

“(a) In general—The Secretary shall support the updating of model building energy codes.

“(b) Targets

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall support the updating of the model building energy codes to enable the achievement of aggregate energy savings targets established under paragraph (2).

“(2) Targets

“(A) In general—The Secretary shall work with State, Indian tribes, local governments, code and standards developers (such as the entities described in section 303(14)), and other interested parties to support the updating of model building energy codes by establishing one or more national aggregate energy savings targets to achieve the purposes of this section.

“(B) Separate targets—The Secretary shall establish separate targets for commercial and residential buildings.

“(C) Baselines—The baseline for updating model building energy codes shall be the 2009 IECC for residential buildings and ASHRAE Standard 90.1–2010 for commercial buildings.

“(D) Code cycles—The targets established under subparagraph (A) shall align with the respective code development cycles determined by the model building energy code-setting and standards development organizations described in section 303(14).

“(E) Specific years

“(i) In general—Targets for specific years shall be established and revised by the Secretary through rulemaking and coordinated with code and standards developers (such as the entities described in section 303(14)) at a level that—

“(I) is at the maximum level of energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and lifecycle cost effective, while accounting for the economic considerations under paragraph (4);

“(II) is higher than the preceding target;

“(III) promotes the achievement of commercial and residential high-performance buildings (as defined in section 401 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17061)) through high performance energy efficiency; and

“(IV) takes into consideration the variations in climate zones used in model building energy codes.

“(ii) Initial targets—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this clause, the Secretary shall establish initial targets under this subparagraph.

“(iii) Different target years—Subject to clause (i), prior to the applicable year, the Secretary may set a later target year for any of the model building energy codes described in subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that a target cannot be met.

“(iv) Small business—When establishing targets under this paragraph through rulemaking, the Secretary shall ensure compliance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (5 U.S.C. 601 note; Public Law 104–121).

“(3) Appliance standards and other factors affecting building energy use—In establishing building code targets under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall develop and adjust the targets in recognition of potential savings and costs relating to—

“(A) efficiency gains made in appliances, lighting, windows, insulation, and building envelope sealing;

“(B) advancement of distributed generation and on-site renewable power generation technologies;

“(C) equipment improvements for heating, cooling, and ventilation systems;

“(D) building management systems and smart technologies to reduce energy use; and

“(E) other technologies, practices, and building systems that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding building plug load and other energy uses.

“(4) Economic considerations—In establishing and revising building code targets under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall consider the economic feasibility of achieving the proposed targets established under this section and the potential costs and savings for consumers and building owners, including a return on investment analysis.

“(c) Technical assistance to model building energy code-Setting and standards development organizations

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall, on a timely basis, provide technical assistance to model building energy code-setting and standards development organizations consistent with the goals of this section.

“(2) Assistance—The assistance shall include, as requested by the organizations, technical assistance in—

“(A) evaluating code or standards proposals or revisions;

“(B) building energy and water analysis and design tools;

“(C) building demonstrations;

“(D) developing definitions of energy use intensity and building types for use in model building energy codes to evaluate the efficiency impacts of the model building energy codes;

“(E) performance-based standards;

“(F) evaluating economic considerations under subsection (b)(4); and

“(G) developing model building energy codes by Indian tribes in accordance with tribal law.

“(3) Amendment proposals—The Secretary may submit timely model building energy code amendment proposals to the model building energy code-setting and standards development organizations, with supporting evidence, sufficient to enable the model building energy codes to meet the targets established under subsection (b)(2).

“(4) Analysis methodology—The Secretary shall make publicly available the entire calculation methodology (including input assumptions and data) used by the Secretary to estimate the energy savings of code or standard proposals and revisions.

“(d) Determination

“(1) Revision of model building energy codes—If the provisions of the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 regarding building energy use are proposed to be revised, the Secretary shall make a preliminary determination, by not later than 90 days after the date of receipt of the proposed revision, and a final determination by not later than 15 months after the date of publication of the revision, regarding whether the revision will—

“(A) improve energy efficiency in buildings, as compared to the existing model building energy code; and

“(B) meet the applicable targets under subsection (b)(2).

“(2) Codes or standards not meeting targets

“(A) Preliminary determination by Secretary—If the Secretary makes a preliminary determination under paragraph (1)(B) that a code or standard does not meet an applicable target under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall contemporaneously provide to the developer of the model building energy code or standard not fewer than 2 proposed changes that would result in a model building energy code that meets the applicable target, together with supporting evidence, taking into consideration—

“(i) whether the modified code is technically feasible and lifecycle cost effective;

“(ii) available appliances, technologies, materials, and construction practices; and

“(iii) the economic considerations under subsection (b)(4).

“(B) Determination or election by developer—Not later than 270 days after the date of receipt of proposed changes of the Secretary under subparagraph (A), a developer shall—

“(i) determine whether—

“(I) to publish a new revised code accepting the proposed changes; or

“(II) to reject the proposed changes; or

“(ii) if the developer elects not to make a determination under clause (i), publish a notice of that election, together with the proposed changes.

“(C) Final determination by Secretary

“(i) In general—A final determination by the Secretary shall be made on the model building energy code or standard, as modified by the changes proposed by the Secretary under subparagraph (A).

“(ii) Additional determinations—If a model building energy code or standards developer makes an election pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii), the Secretary shall make the following final determinations for purposes of this subsection:

“(I) A final determination regarding whether the code or standard of the developer, absent any changes proposed by the Secretary under subparagraph (A), will—

“(aa) improve energy efficiency in buildings, as compared to the existing model building energy code; and

“(bb) meet the applicable targets under subsection (b)(2).

“(II) A final determination regarding whether the code or standard of the developer, as modified by the changes proposed by the Secretary under subparagraph (A), would—

“(aa) improve energy efficiency in buildings, as compared to the existing model building energy code; and

“(bb) meet the applicable targets under subsection (b)(2).

“(e) Administration—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall—

“(1) publish notice of targets and supporting analysis and determinations under this section in the Federal Register to provide an explanation of and the basis for such actions, including any supporting modeling, data, assumptions, protocols, and cost-benefit analysis, including return on investment; and

“(2) provide an opportunity for public comment on targets and supporting analysis and determinations under this section.”

Sec. 102 Cost-effective codes implementation for efficiency and resilience

(a)
In general— Title III of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6831 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“309. Cost-effective codes implementation for efficiency and resilience

“(a) Definitions—In this section:

“(1) Eligible entity—The term eligible entity means—

“(A) a relevant State agency, as determined by the Secretary, such as a State building code agency or State energy office; and

“(B) a partnership.

“(2) Partnership—The term partnership means a partnership between an eligible entity described in paragraph (1)(A) and one or more of the following entities:

“(A) Local building code agencies.

“(B) Codes and standards developers.

“(C) Associations of builders and design and construction professionals.

“(D) Local and utility energy efficiency programs.

“(E) Consumer, energy efficiency, and environmental advocates.

“(F) Other entities, as determined by the Secretary.

“(3) Secretary—The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.

“(b) Establishment

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall establish within the Building Technologies Office of the Department of Energy a program under which the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to enable sustained cost-effective implementation of updated building energy codes.

“(2) Updated building energy code—An update to a building energy code under this section shall include any update made available after the existing building energy code, even if it is not the most recent updated code available.

“(c) Criteria; priority—In awarding grants under subsection (b), the Secretary shall—

“(1) consider—

“(A) prospective energy savings and plans to measure the savings;

“(B) the long-term sustainability of those measures and savings;

“(C) prospective benefits, and plans to assess the benefits, including benefits relating to—

“(i) resilience and peak load reduction;

“(ii) occupant safety and health; and

“(iii) environmental performance;

“(D) the demonstrated capacity of the eligible entity to carry out the proposed project; and

“(E) the need of the eligible entity for assistance; and

“(2) give priority to applications from partnerships.

“(d) Eligible activities

“(1) In general—An eligible entity awarded a grant under this section may use the grant funds—

“(A) to create or enable State or regional partnerships to provide training and materials to—

“(i) builders, contractors and subcontractors, architects, and other design and construction professionals, relating to meeting updated building energy codes in a cost-effective manner; and

“(ii) building code officials, relating to improving implementation of and compliance with building energy codes;

“(B) to collect and disseminate quantitative data on construction and codes implementation, including code pathways, performance metrics, and technologies used;

“(C) to develop and implement a plan for highly effective codes implementation, including measuring compliance;

“(D) to address various implementation needs in rural, suburban, and urban areas; and

“(E) to implement updates in energy codes for—

“(i) new residential and commercial buildings (including multifamily buildings); and

“(ii) additions and alterations to existing residential and commercial buildings (including multifamily buildings).

“(2) Related topics—Training and materials provided using a grant under this section may include information on the relationship between energy codes and—

“(A) cost-effective, high-performance, and zero-net-energy buildings;

“(B) improving resilience, health, and safety;

“(C) water savings and other environmental impacts; and

“(D) the economic impacts of energy codes.

“(e) Authorization of appropriations—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section—

“(1) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2029; and

“(2) for fiscal year 2030 and each fiscal year thereafter, such sums as are necessary.”

(b)
Conforming amendment— Section 303 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6832) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “As used in” and inserting “Except as otherwise provided, in”.

Sec. 103 Commercial building energy consumption information sharing

(a)
In general— Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration (referred to in this section as the “Administrator”) and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall sign, and submit to Congress, an information sharing agreement (referred to in this section as the “agreement”) relating to commercial building energy consumption data.
(b)
Content of agreement— The agreement shall—
(1)
provide that the Administrator shall have access to building-specific data in the Portfolio Manager database of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(2)
describe the manner in which the Administrator shall incorporate appropriate data (including the data described in subsection (c)) into any Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (referred to in this section as “CBECS”) published after the date of enactment of this Act for the purpose of analyzing and estimating building population, size, location, activity, energy usage, and any other relevant building characteristic; and
(3)
describe and compare—
(A)
the methodologies that the Energy Information Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and State and local government managers use to maximize the quality, reliability, and integrity of data collected through CBECS, the Portfolio Manager database of the Environmental Protection Agency, and State and local building energy disclosure laws (including regulations), respectively, and the manner in which those methodologies can be improved; and
(B)
consistencies and variations in data for buildings that were captured in the 2012 CBECS cycle and in the Portfolio Manager database of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(c)
Data— The data referred in subsection (b)(2) includes data that—
(1)
is collected through the Portfolio Manager database of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(2)
is required to be publicly available on the internet under State and local government building energy disclosure laws (including regulations); and
(3)
includes information on private sector buildings that are not less than 250,000 square feet.
(d)
Protection of information— In carrying out the agreement, the Administrator and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall protect information in accordance with—
(1)
section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘Freedom of Information Act’);
(2)
subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code; and
(3)
any other applicable law (including regulations).

B Worker Training and Capacity Building

Sec. 111 Building training and assessment centers

(a)
In general— The Secretary shall provide grants to institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) and Tribal Colleges or Universities (as defined in section 316(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b))) to establish building training and assessment centers—
(1)
to identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency and environmental performance in buildings;
(2)
to promote the application of emerging concepts and technologies in commercial and institutional buildings;
(3)
to train engineers, architects, building scientists, building energy permitting and enforcement officials, and building technicians in energy-efficient design and operation;
(4)
to assist institutions of higher education and Tribal Colleges or Universities in training building technicians;
(5)
to promote research and development for the use of alternative energy sources and distributed generation to supply heat and power for buildings, particularly energy-intensive buildings; and
(6)
to coordinate with and assist State-accredited technical training centers, community colleges, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and local offices of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and ensure appropriate services are provided under this section to each region of the United States.
(b)
Coordination and nonduplication—
(1)
In general— The Secretary shall coordinate the program with the industrial research and assessment centers program and with other Federal programs to avoid duplication of effort.
(2)
Collocation— To the maximum extent practicable, building, training, and assessment centers established under this section shall be collocated with Industrial Assessment Centers.
(c)
Authorization of Appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Sec. 112 Career skills training

(a)
Definition of eligible entity— In this section, the term eligible entity means a nonprofit partnership that—
(1)
includes the equal participation of industry, including public or private employers, and labor organizations, including joint labor-management training programs;
(2)
may include workforce investment boards, community-based organizations, qualified service and conservation corps, educational institutions, small businesses, cooperatives, State and local veterans agencies, and veterans service organizations; and
(3)
demonstrates—
(A)
experience in implementing and operating worker skills training and education programs;
(B)
the ability to identify and involve in training programs carried out under this section, target populations of individuals who would benefit from training and be actively involved in activities relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy industries; and
(C)
the ability to help individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency.
(b)
Establishment— The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to pay the Federal share of associated career skills training programs under which students concurrently receive classroom instruction and on-the-job training for the purpose of obtaining an industry-related certification to install energy efficient buildings technologies, including technologies described in subsection (b)(3) of section 307 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6836).
(c)
Federal share— The Federal share of the cost of carrying out a career skills training program described in subsection (a) shall be 50 percent.
(d)
Authorization of Appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000, to remain available until expended.

C School Buildings

Sec. 121 Coordination of energy retrofitting assistance for schools

(a)
Definition of school— In this section, the term school means—
(1)
an elementary school or secondary school (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));
(2)
an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a)));
(3)
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;
(4)
a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(5)
a tribally controlled school (as defined in section 5212 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (25 U.S.C. 2511)); and
(6)
a Tribal College or University (as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b))).
(b)
Designation of lead agency— The Secretary, acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, shall act as the lead Federal agency for coordinating and disseminating information on existing Federal programs and assistance that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools.
(c)
Requirements— In carrying out coordination and outreach under subsection (b), the Secretary shall—
(1)
in consultation and coordination with the appropriate Federal agencies, carry out a review of existing programs and financing mechanisms (including revolving loan funds and loan guarantees) available in or from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Department of the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other appropriate Federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy financing and facilitation that are currently used or may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools;
(2)
establish a Federal cross-departmental collaborative coordination, education, and outreach effort to streamline communication and promote available Federal opportunities and assistance described in paragraph (1), for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects that enables States, local educational agencies, and schools—
(A)
to use existing Federal opportunities more effectively; and
(B)
to form partnerships with Governors, State energy programs, local educational, financial, and energy officials, State and local government officials, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities, to support the initiation of the projects;
(3)
provide technical assistance for States, local educational agencies, and schools to help develop and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects—
(A)
to increase the energy efficiency of buildings or facilities;
(B)
to install systems that individually generate energy from renewable energy resources;
(C)
to establish partnerships to leverage economies of scale and additional financing mechanisms available to larger clean energy initiatives; or
(D)
to promote—
(i)
the maintenance of health, environmental quality, and safety in schools, including the ambient air quality, through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofit projects; and
(ii)
the achievement of expected energy savings and renewable energy production through proper operations and maintenance practices;
(4)
develop and maintain a single online resource website with contact information for relevant technical assistance and support staff in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for States, local educational agencies, and schools to effectively access and use Federal opportunities and assistance described in paragraph (1) to develop energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects; and
(5)
establish a process for recognition of schools that—
(A)
have successfully implemented energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects; and
(B)
are willing to serve as resources for other local educational agencies and schools to assist initiation of similar efforts.
(d)
Report— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the implementation of this section.