I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 695 

To provide for a green building certification program as part of the Energy 

Star program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 26, 2009 

Mr. WEINER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To provide for a green building certification program as 

part of the Energy Star program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

5 (1) GREEN BUILDING.—The term ‘‘green build6 ing’’ means a building constructed taking into ac7 count sustainable site development, water savings, 

8 energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environ9 mental quality, life-cycle concerns of building mate10 rials, and transit and density-oriented development. 


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1 (2) LIFE-CYCLE CONCERNS OF BUILDING MATE2 RIALS.—The term ‘‘life-cycle concerns of building 

3 materials’’ includes emissions and environmental im4 pact related to the production and use of building 

5 materials from source to end of use. 

6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy 

7 shall expand the Energy Star program to include the cer8 tification, beginning not later than 2 years after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, of buildings as green buildings. 

10 Such expanded program shall build on the existing Energy 

11 Star building efficiency program, and a building certified 

12 under such program shall receive an Energy Star label. 

13 (c) STUDY.—In creating the program under this sec14 tion, the Secretary of Energy shall study and provide rec15 ommendations to— 

16 (1) streamline the certification process with 

17 other required municipal certification submissions to 

18 maximum extent feasible; 

19 (2) develop an online certification program; and 

20 (3) design a program that will allow those with21 out green building expertise to certify their building 

22 without being required to have greater knowledge 

23 than the building’s parameters. 

24 (d) PROGRAM DESIGN.—The program under this sec25 tion shall be designed— 


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1 (1) based on the recommendations made under 

2 subsection (c); 

3 (2) to set minimum energy efficiency standards, 

4 and other standards comparable to standards of the 

5 United States Green Building Council Leadership in 

6 Energy and Environmental Design Green Building 

7 Rating Program; 

8 (3) to establish separate regional certification 

9 standards; 

10 (4) to use procedures that are streamlined and 

11 compatible with any other required municipal certifi12 cation or energy efficiency assessment submissions 

13 procedures and databases, to maximum extent fea14 sible; 

15 (5) to have certifications integrated into exist16 ing Energy Star building program energy efficiency 

17 assessment documents and databases to maximum 

18 extent feasible; 

19 (6) to be primarily an online certification pro20 gram that minimizes the need for paper forms and 

21 permits automated calculations and approval and 

22 gives real-time feedback on meeting certification pa23 rameters; 

24 (7) to allow those without green building exper25 tise to certify their building without being required 


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1 to have greater knowledge than the building’s pa2 rameters; 

3 (8) to include separate certification programs 

4 for offices, schools, residential buildings (including 

5 single-family homes), commercial and retail build6 ings, high-rise buildings, manufacturing buildings, 

7 and any other building types as the Secretary of En8 ergy considers appropriate; 

9 (9) to include renovation certification programs 

10 for all building types described in paragraph (8); 

11 (10) to include a public awareness campaign 

12 component pursuant to section 324A(c) of the En13 ergy Policy and Conservation Act; 

14 (11) to integrate the results of the high-per15 formance building assessment under section 914 of 

16 the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as applicable, when 

17 available; and 

18 (12) to require review and updating of the cer19 tification program to meet market needs at least 

20 once every 5 years. 

21 (e) REPORT TO CONGRESS ON PROGRAM DESIGN.— 

22 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this 

23 Act, the Secretary of Energy shall transmit to the Con24 gress a report setting forth the design of the expanded 

25 program under this section. Such report shall include an 


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1 explanation of how each of the program design require2 ments under subsection (d) have been incorporated into 

3 the program. 

4 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En6 ergy for carrying out this section— 

7 (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

8 (2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

9 (3) $2,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter. 

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