I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4664

To direct the Secretary of Education to provide grants to establish sustainability centers, charged with developing and implementing integrated 

environmental, economic, and social sustainability programs through administrative and operational practices as well as multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach at institutions of higher education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 23, 2004

Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. 

GREENWOOD, and Mr. WU) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Education to provide grants to 

establish sustainability centers, charged with developing 

and implementing integrated environmental, economic, 

and social sustainability programs through administrative 

and operational practices as well as multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach at institutions of higher 

education.

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Higher Education Sus3 tainability Act of 2004’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Progress on sustainable development re7 quires the simultaneous achievement of a well func8 tioning environmental system, economic viability 

9 that creates new jobs and livable communities that 

10 provide access to all for participation in their gov11 ernance. 

12 (2) The Nation has improved some challenging 

13 environmental conditions through application of best 

14 technologies, but serious problems persist that re15 quire new science, technologies, and innovative policy 

16 approaches that are flexible, and use market mecha17 nisms, and engage relevant stakeholders from the 

18 private and public sectors. 

19 (3) Achieving long-term economic prosperity re20 quires opportunities for employment and the mainte21 nance of a healthy environment for the workers. 

22 (4) The Nation’s institutions of higher edu23 cation have a unique role to play in fostering new 

24 knowledge, evaluating policies, and discovering new 

25 technologies to address the persistent and often 
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1 linked environmental, social and economic problems 

2 that exist. 

3 (5) The Nation’s higher education institutions 

4 are places where approaches that integrate the envi5 ronmental, social and economic dimensions can be 

6 designed, tested, and refined for application to real 

7 world settings in collaboration with industry, govern8 ment and the nonprofit sector. 

9 (6) The Nation’s higher education institutions 

10 are uniquely positioned to prepare the future labor 

11 force for successful careers in the private and public 

12 sectors that contribute to economic, environmental, 

13 and social sustainability. 

14 (7) The Nation’s higher education institutions 

15 are uniquely situated to be models of sustainable 

16 management and operations that can provide exam17 ples to industry and government of operational 

18 strategies that integrate the basic principles of envi19 ronmental, economic, and social sustainability. 

20 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

21 (1) to provide support to faculty, staff, and stu22 dents at institutions of higher education to establish 

23 both administrative and educational sustainability 

24 programs on campus; 
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1 (2) to promote and enhance research by faculty 

2 and students at institutions of higher education in 

3 sustainability practices and innovations that assist 

4 and improve sustainability; and 

5 (3) to provide support to institutions of higher 

6 education to work with community partners from the 

7 business, government, and nonprofit sectors to de8 sign and implement sustainability programs for ap9 plication in the community and workplace. 

10 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 

11 Title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 is 

12 amended by adding at the end the following new part: 

13 ‘‘PART E—UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABILITY 

14 CENTERS 

15 ‘‘SEC. 771. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants 

17 to eligible entities to establish sustainability centers to de18 sign and implement sustainability practices including in 

19 the areas of energy management, green building, waste 

20 management, purchasing, transportation, and toxics man21 agement other aspects of sustainability that integrate 

22 campus operations with multidisciplinary educational pro23 grams and are applicable to the private and government 

24 sectors. 
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1 ‘‘(b) PERIOD OF GRANT.—The provision of payments 

2 under a grant under subsection (a) may extend over a pe3 riod of not more than 4 fiscal years. 

4 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For pur5 poses of this part, the term ‘eligible entity’ means a com6 prehensive college or university that grants 4-year under7 graduate degrees and masters and doctoral degrees. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 772. APPLICATIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under section 

10 771(a), an eligible entity shall submit an application to 

11 the Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing 

12 such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. 

13 ‘‘(b) ASSURANCES.—Such application shall include 

14 assurances that the eligible entity—

15 ‘‘(1) has developed or shall develop a plan, in16 cluding an evaluation component, for the program 

17 component established pursuant to section 773; 

18 ‘‘(2) shall use Federal funds received from a 

19 grant under section 771(a) to supplement, not sup20 plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be 

21 available for projects funded under such section; 

22 ‘‘(3) shall provide, with respect to any fiscal 

23 year in which such entity receives funds from a 

24 grant under section 771(a), non-Federal funds or an 

25 in kind contribution in an amount equal to 20 per-
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1 cent of funds from such grant, for the purpose of 

2 carrying out the program component established in 

3 section 773; and 

4 ‘‘(4) shall collaborate with business, govern5 ment, and the nonprofit sectors in the development 

6 and implementation of its sustainability plan. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 773. USE OF FUNDS. 

8 ‘‘Grants made under section 771 may be used by an 

9 eligible entity only for establishing a sustainability pro10 gram—

11 ‘‘(1) to develop and implement administrative 

12 and operations practices at institutions of higher 

13 education that test, model, and analyze principles of 

14 sustainability; 

15 ‘‘(2) to establish multidisciplinary education, re16 search, and outreach programs at institutions of 

17 higher education that address the environmental, so18 cial, and economic dimensions of sustainability; 

19 ‘‘(3) to support research and teaching initia20 tives that focus on multidisciplinary and integrated 

21 environmental, economic, and social elements; 

22 ‘‘(4) to establish initiatives in the areas of en23 ergy management, green building, waste manage24 ment, purchasing, toxics management, transpor25 tation, and other aspects of sustainability; and 
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1 ‘‘(5) to support student, faculty, and staff work 

2 at institutions of higher education to implement, re3 search, and evaluate sustainable practices. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 774. REPORTS. 

5 ‘‘An eligible entity that receives a grant under section 

6 section 771(a) shall submit to the Secretary, for each fis7 cal year in which the entity receives amounts from such 

8 grant, a report that describes the work conducted pursu9 ant to section 773, research findings and publications, ad10 ministrative savings experienced, and an evaluation of the 

11 program. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 775. ALLOCATION REQUIREMENT. 

13 ‘‘The Secretary may not make grants under section 

14 771(a) to any eligible entity in an amount totaling more 

15 than 10 percent appropriated under section 776. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 776. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro18 priated to carry out section 771(a) $50,000,000 for fiscal 

19 year 2005 and such sums as may be necessary for each 

20 of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 

21 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated under 

22 subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.’’.

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