March 5, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 39 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H2328-H2329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         STREAMLINING ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR SCHOOLS ACT OF 2019

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 762) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide 
for the dissemination of information regarding available Federal 
programs relating to energy efficiency projects for schools, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 762

       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 2019''.

     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 New 
York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 762.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to voice my strong support for H.R. 762 
introduced by my good friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Cartwright).
  This legislation will provide a coordinating structure for our 
Nation's schools to help them better navigate available Federal 
programs and financing options.
  Across our great country, K-12 school districts spend literally 
billions of dollars on their energy bills each year, while an estimated 
14 million American children attend deteriorating public schools. By 
upgrading these systems, we can increase efficiency and focus school 
funding to achieve better educational outcomes.
  We have a huge opportunity this Congress to make major investments in 
our Nation's infrastructure--including our most essential institutions, 
such as schools.
  I believe efficiency has to be our fuel of first choice. We can save 
local taxpayers money while upgrading and modernizing these facilities.
  This legislation has passed the House in each of the last two 
Congresses with broad bipartisan support, and I am proud to be an 
original cosponsor of this year's iteration.
  I commend Representative Cartwright and the bill's bipartisan 
cosponsors for their efforts, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
voting for the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I want to 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 762, was introduced by Representative 
Cartwright on January 24. I would note that it is identical to bills 
that passed the House in prior Congresses by a voice vote, unanimous 
and bipartisan.
  This legislation would require that the Secretary of Energy establish 
a clearinghouse to share information regarding available Federal 
programs to help schools initiate, develop, and finance energy 
efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects. 
These types of energy upgrades will help schools stretch their budgets 
and reduce their impact on the environment at the same time.
  This is a good, bipartisan bill. It is going to help schools take 
advantage of existing programs to cut down on their energy use. As I 
have said before, we should continue to encourage these innovations in 
energy efficiencies to help address climate change, and this bill is a 
good step in the right direction.
  Mr. Speaker, when I was a student, I never had a legislator come 
visit my class. As part of my district operation, I visit a school 
literally every week.
  So we all have districts that look pretty much the same. I have 
probably 100-some school districts, close to 500, 600 school buildings 
for sure, and as I have visited these classrooms in the years that I 
have served, every school is different. Many of these schools are 40, 
50, 60 years old.
  This legislation is needed. We want to make sure that the money for 
education not only goes to help our students move forward, but, in 
fact, that they are in a safe environment. Energy conservation is 
something that is needed at almost every one of our schools.
  This is a good piece of legislation. I hope that we can pass it again 
today by a strong, bipartisan--perhaps, unanimous--vote, and I urge 
that the Senate take it up as quickly as they can.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright). Representative Cartwright 
is from Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the leadership for 
bringing this bill up under suspension today, and to Representative 
Tonko for yielding time, also, to Republican Leader Upton for his kind 
words.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the entire Energy and 
Commerce Committee for their long-term support for this bill. And I say 
``long-term'' because this bill has passed the House under suspension 
under each of the past three Congresses.
  Unfortunately, our friends in the Senate--and I use that word 
loosely--have yet to bring it to the floor. I am glad the House is 
considering this bill early in the session with plenty of time for the 
Senate to act.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman Welch of Vermont, 
particularly, for his leadership on this bill. It is no secret that he 
is one of the great energy efficiency gurus in the House, and it has 
been a pleasure for me to work with him.
  Mr. Speaker, across the country, school districts spend billions of 
dollars on their energy every year. These

[[Page H2329]]

are schools in need of upgrades and improvements to their facilities.
  In its most recent Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society 
of Civil Engineers gave the condition of our Nation's schools a grade 
of D-plus.
  Now, what this bill proposes are enhancements that improve the state 
of our schools, our economy, and our environment by implementing 
economically and environmentally sustainable changes so school 
administrators can address short-term and long-term needs. In reducing 
their energy bills, schools can put the savings toward other 
educational priorities.
  Now, according to the EPA and the Department of Energy, K-12 school 
districts, nationwide, spend approximately $8 billion on their energy 
every year, second only to personnel costs. $8 billion exceeds the 
costs of textbooks and supplies. An estimated $2 billion of that cost 
could be saved by improving energy efficiency, an amount that can pay 
for 40 million textbooks.
  Moreover, 43 percent of schools, according to a Department of 
Education survey, indicated that the poor condition of their facilities 
interferes with the delivery of instruction. In fact, high-performance 
schools can lower a school district's operating costs by up to 30 
percent.
  Now, there are numerous Federal initiatives already available to 
schools to help them become more energy efficient, but these programs 
are spread across the Federal Government, making it challenging, time 
consuming, difficult, and costly for schools to identify and take full 
advantage of these programs. We are talking about harried, busy school 
administrators that don't have the time to dive in to do that kind of 
research.
  These programs exist for schools to utilize them. We should make 
every effort to assist schools in enacting sensible upgrades that help 
our students learn and help our schools run smoothly and efficiently.
  This bipartisan Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act aims 
to provide a coordinating structure for schools to help schools better 
navigate available Federal programs and financing options. Now, this 
legislation does not spend any additional money, and it keeps 
decisionmaking authority with the States, the school boards, and the 
local officials.
  The bill establishes a clearinghouse through the Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The clearinghouse 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.
  The bill also directs the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy to coordinate with Federal agencies and develop an outreach 
program to streamline communications and promote available Federal 
programs. For example, outreach may provide a single website where 
school officials can learn, with one-stop shopping, about the relevant 
programs.
  This is commonsense legislation that will ensure that schools can 
more easily take advantage of energy efficiency programs. It is a 
strategic and cost-saving investment to relieve the fiscal pressure 
felt by school districts across the Nation while bringing us closer to 
energy security.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on our side that I 
am aware of, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), my colleague and friend.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member; the chairman; and 
the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Cartwright, in persistent advocacy.
  What Mr. Cartwright said really makes sense. It is pretty bad, the 
condition of many of our schools throughout the country. About 43 
percent are in substandard condition. It has a real impact on learning, 
but it also has an impact on expense. It means that kids are in cold 
and drafty schools or it is too hot; it is one or the other.
  Energy efficiency programs can make a huge difference, and there are 
some that are available.
  As Mr. Cartwright said, the teachers and the principals want to focus 
on instruction and taking care of the kids. They don't have time to 
manage and investigate what are all of the programs out there that may 
allow them to rehab their schools.
  This allows the Secretary to essentially provide a blueprint so that, 
whether you are in a small town like Norwich, Vermont, where I am from, 
where we have got a population of about 3,000, or you are in an urban 
district in the middle of Chicago, you are going to be able to get the 
information you need without absorbing a lot of staff time.
  And then, by the way, kids are getting involved in this question of 
climate change. This is a big deal because, at our schools and our high 
schools, there is a lot of leadership that is saying we have got an 
obligation to protect our planet. What is going to happen when we 
embrace energy efficiency on a large scale but start locally is that it 
is going to reduce carbon emissions.
  In fact, when we passed the Waxman-Markey bill in the House--it 
didn't get through the Senate--where the goal was 80 percent carbon 
reductions by 2050, 40 percent of those carbon reductions were coming 
from energy efficiency.
  It is what Mr. Tonko says. It is our fuel of choice. It is the 
cheapest way to reduce carbon emissions.
  The other thing is, every time you are doing energy efficiency, it 
means local tradesmen and -women are doing the work. So it is those 
kids who are going to have a warmer or a cooler school, and it is their 
moms and dads who are going to be doing the work to make that happen. 
So this really makes a lot of sense.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor of this legislation and leadership 
on the committee for their work in bringing it forward.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage our colleagues to support this measure. 
Obviously, H.R. 762 enables us to make certain that we target 
wastefulness and energy efficiency. It is a good way to make certain 
that resources that can be committed to education are not wasted 
through inefficient use of energy--a good, strong message for the 
development of our children.
  So it is a great bill. I applaud Representative Cartwright and his 
cosponsors for moving us forward and ask that our colleagues support 
this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 762.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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