I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1713 
To reduce Federal expenditures associated with data center real estate and 
electricity consumption, to implement savings reductions proposed by 
Federal employees, to reduce energy costs across Federal Executive agen-
cies, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 4, 2011 
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia (for himself and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Serv-
ices, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To reduce Federal expenditures associated with data center 
real estate and electricity consumption, to implement sav-
ings reductions proposed by Federal employees, to reduce 
energy costs across Federal Executive agencies, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Federal Cost Reduction Act of 2011’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Reduction and consolidation of data centers. 
Sec. 5. GSA reports. 
Sec. 6. Reduction of printing. 
Sec. 7. Implementation of Federal employee cost savings proposals. 
Sec. 8. Power purchase agreement program. 
Sec. 9. Federal facility energy efficiency and renewable energy projects fund. 
Sec. 10. Incentives for Executive agencies for utility energy savings contracts. 
Sec. 11. Renewable energy facilities surveys by Executive agencies. 
Sec. 12. Adoption of personal computer power savings techniques by Executive 
agencies. 
Sec. 13. Federal energy management and data collection standard. 
Sec. 14. Advanced metering best practices for advanced metering. 
Sec. 15. Availability of funds for design updates. 
Sec. 16. Continuous commissioning within the Federal building stock. 
Sec. 17. Elimination of State matching requirement for energy efficiency up-
grades at National Guard and reserve armories and readiness 
centers. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The number of Federal data centers has 
quintupled over the past decade from 400 to more 
than 2,000. 
(2) Data center consolidation, including data 
centers of the House of Representatives, has reduced 
electricity expenses and requisite real estate where it 
has been pursued. 
(3) Federal energy expenses exceed $24 billion 
annually, while most existing Federal facilities do 
not meet efficiency standards that are expected for 
new Federal construction. 
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(4) Contract period limitations of 10 years for 
Federal Executive agencies limit deployment of do-
mestic energy sources that could reduce long-term 
Federal energy expenses. 
(5) Energy saving performance contracts can 
offer low or zero cost options for improving energy 
efficiency in Federal facilities. 
(6) The Federal Government spends $1.3 bil-
lion annually on employee printing. 
(7) Federal employees estimate that they imme-
diately recycle 35 percent of all paper printed, 
equating to $440.4 million in potential annual sav-
ings. 
(8) Only 9 percent of Federal Executive agen-
cies have automatic duplex printing. 
(9) The Department of Veterans Affairs has de-
veloped an acquisition personnel training center to 
improve Federal employee productivity and reduce 
employee turnover. 
(10) Federal employees have proposed more 
than 18,000 ways to save taxpayer money through 
the ‘‘Save Awards’’. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Oversight and Gov-
ernment Reform of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 
(2) ENERGY
SAVINGS
PERFORMANCE
CON-
TRACT.—The term ‘‘energy savings performance 
contract’’ means a contract that provides for the 
performance of services for the design, acquisition, 
installation, testing, operation, and, where appro-
priate, maintenance and repair of an identified en-
ergy conservation measure or series of measures at 
one or more locations. 
(3) FEDERAL DATA CENTER.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral data center’’— 
(A) means a room within a conventional 
building that is devoted to data processing serv-
ers, including server closets that are typically 
less than 200 square feet and server rooms that 
are typically less than 500 square feet; 
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(B) means larger floor spaces or entire 
buildings dedicated to housing servers, storage 
devices, and network equipment; and 
(C) does not include any facilities that are 
exclusively devoted to communications and net-
work equipment (such as telephone exchanges 
and telecommunications rooms and closets). 
(4) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—Except as provided 
in section 8, the term ‘‘Executive agency’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 105 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 4. REDUCTION AND CONSOLIDATION OF DATA CEN-
TERS. 
(a) OMB RECOMMENDATION.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in con-
sultation with the Administrator of General Services and 
the heads of other Executive agencies, shall issue rec-
ommendations for reducing or consolidating the number 
of Federal data centers in existence as of the date of the 
enactment of this Act— 
(1) by at least 40 percent not later than Sep-
tember 30, 2016; and 
(2) by at least 80 percent not later than Sep-
tember 30, 2021. 
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(b) REDUCTION OF DATA CENTERS.—Not later than 
6 months after the issuance of recommendations by the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget under 
subsection (a), the head of each Executive agency shall 
implement the recommendations by reducing the number 
of Federal data centers in accordance with such rec-
ommendations. 
SEC. 5. GSA REPORTS. 
(a) REPORT ON REDUCING REAL ESTATE COSTS 
AND ENERGY EXPENDITURES.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator of General Services shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on the following: 
(1) Recommendations to reduce long-term real 
estate costs through consolidating or eliminating 
leased space and any additional authority that might 
be necessary to replace leased space with owned 
space if the payback period is 15 years or fewer. 
(2) A description of a plan by the General Serv-
ices Administration to use energy saving perform-
ance contracts and other low-capital investments to 
reduce energy expenditures. 
(b) REPORT AND PLAN TO REDUCE FEDERAL AUTO-
MOBILE PARKING EXPENSES.— 
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(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator of General Services shall submit to the 
Congress a report on the annual expense for each of 
fiscal years 2000 through 2010 for Federal employee 
parking, including— 
(A) parking spaces and parking facilities 
that are leased or owned by the Federal Gov-
ernment; 
(B) maintenance and construction costs for 
such spaces and facilities; and 
(C) the total construction costs for parking 
facilities that are used by Federal employees for 
fiscal years 2000 through 2010. 
(2) PLAN TO REDUCE PARKING EXPENSES.— 
Not later than one year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the General Services Administra-
tion shall submit a report to Congress that includes 
a plan, using existing agency authorities, to reduce 
the expense for Federal employee parking by at least 
five percent annually for each of the next 5 fiscal 
years after date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. REDUCTION OF PRINTING. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, each Executive agency shall establish 
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a plan to reduce by 35 percent the volume of material 
printed during fiscal year 2011 for each of fiscal years 
2012 through 2022, including a requirement for duplex 
printing as the default setting on all Federal printers and 
copiers, where applicable, and shall submit such plan to 
the Office of the Environmental Executive. 
SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEE COST 
SAVINGS PROPOSALS. 
Not later than 12 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a plan to implement Federal employee cost 
savings proposals. 
SEC. 8. POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COST-EFFECTIVE.—The term ‘‘cost-effec-
tive’’ means, with respect to a power purchase agree-
ment entered into by the head of an Executive agen-
cy for a Federal facility that is owned or controlled 
by the Executive agency, that the 30-year average 
cost for the purchase of electricity under the power 
purchase agreement from 1 or more renewable en-
ergy generating systems is not greater than an 
amount equal to 110 percent of the cost of an equal 
quantity of electricity from the current electricity 
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supplier of the Federal facility, taking into consider-
ation each— 
(A) applicable cost, including any cost re-
sulting from— 
(i) a demand charge; 
(ii) an applicable rider; 
(iii) a fuel adjustment charge; or 
(iv) any other surcharge; and 
(B) reasonably anticipated increase in the 
cost of the electricity resulting from— 
(i) inflation; 
(ii) increased regulatory requirements; 
(iii) decreased availability of fossil 
fuels; and 
(iv) any other factor that may in-
crease the cost of electricity. 
(2) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Executive 
agency’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
133 of title 41, United States Code. 
(3) FEDERAL
FACILITY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
facility’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘facility’’ 
in section 543(f)(1)(C) of the National Energy Con-
servation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253(f)(1)(C)). 
(4) GOVERNMENT
CORPORATION.—The term 
‘‘Government corporation’’ has the meaning given 
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the term in section 103 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(5) RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.—The term 
‘‘renewable energy source’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 551 of the National Energy Con-
servation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8259). 
(b) POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT PROJECTS.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF HEADS OF EXECUTIVE 
AGENCIES.—In accordance with paragraphs (2) and 
(3), the head of each Executive agency or a designee 
may establish 1 or more projects under which the 
head of the Executive agency may offer to enter into 
power purchase agreements during the 10-year pe-
riod beginning on the date of enactment of this Act 
for the purchase of electricity from 1 or more Fed-
eral facilities that are owned or controlled by the 
Executive agency from renewable energy sources lo-
cated at the Federal facility. 
(2) COST-EFFECTIVE REQUIREMENT.—A head 
of an Executive agency described in paragraph (1) 
may offer to enter into a power purchase agreement 
described in that paragraph only if the power pur-
chase agreement is cost-effective. 
(3) TERM
OF
POWER
PURCHASE
AGREE-
MENT.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law 
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(including regulations), the term of a power pur-
chase agreement described in paragraph (1) may not 
be longer than a period of 30 years. 
(4) ALLOCATION
OF
INCREMENTAL
COSTS.— 
Each head of an Executive agency (including the 
Administrator of General Services) who enters into 
a power purchase agreement under paragraph (1) 
for the purchase of electricity at a Federal facility 
that is owned or controlled by the Executive agency 
for distribution to 1 or more other Executive agen-
cies shall allocate, on an annual basis for the period 
covered by the power purchase agreement, the incre-
mental cost or incremental savings of the power pur-
chase agreement for the purchase of electricity at a 
Federal facility from renewable energy sources (as 
compared to the cost of electricity from the elec-
tricity supplier of the Federal facility) among each 
user of the Federal facility based on the proportion 
that— 
(A) the electricity usage of the user of the 
Federal facility; bears to 
(B) the aggregate electricity usage of all 
users of the Federal facility. 
(c) POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS WITH MUL-
TIPLE FEDERAL FACILITIES.—An Executive agency may 
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enter into an interagency agreement as part of a power 
purchase agreement that involves more than 1 Federal fa-
cility. 
(d) NEGOTIATED RATE AS BASIS FOR DETERMINING 
COST EFFECTIVENESS OF FUTURE ENERGY EFFICIENCY 
OR
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
PROJECTS.—An Executive 
agency that enters into a power purchase agreement may 
not use the negotiated rate as a basis for determining the 
business case or economic feasibility of future energy effi-
ciency or renewable energy projects. 
(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Energy shall 
promulgate such regulations as are necessary to carry out 
this section. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2012 
through 2015, to remain available until expended. 
SEC. 9. FEDERAL FACILITY ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RE-
NEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States a revolving fund, to be 
known as the ‘‘Federal Facility Energy Efficiency and Re-
newable Energy Projects Fund’’ (referred to in this sec-
tion as the ‘‘Fund’’), consisting of such amounts as are 
appropriated to the Fund under subsection (b). 
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(b) TRANSFERS TO FUND.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 
$500,000,000, to remain available until expended. 
(2) LOAN
REPAYMENTS.—There are appro-
priated to the Fund, out of funds of the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, amounts equivalent to 
loan amounts repaid and received in the Treasury 
under subsection (e). 
(c) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), on 
request by the Secretary of Energy (referred to in 
this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec-
retary such amounts as the Secretary determines are 
necessary to provide assistance for energy efficiency 
and renewable energy projects carried out at Federal 
facilities in accordance with subsection (e). 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—An amount 
not exceeding 10 percent of the amounts in the 
Fund shall be available for each fiscal year to pay 
the administrative expenses necessary to carry out 
this section. 
(d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts required to be 
transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 
transferred at least monthly from the general fund 
of the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of esti-
mates made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 
(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall 
be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the 
extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than 
the amounts required to be transferred. 
(e) FEDERAL FACILITY ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND 
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS FUND PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a Federal facility energy efficiency and renewable 
energy projects fund program under which the Sec-
retary shall make loans to Executive agencies to as-
sist the agencies in reducing energy use and related 
purposes, as determined by the Secretary. 
(2) GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATIONS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall issue guidelines for Execu-
tive agencies to submit applications for loans under 
this subsection. 
(3) ELIGIBILITY.—Each Executive agency shall 
be eligible to submit an application for a loan under 
this subsection. 
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(4) LOAN AWARDS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
award loans under this subsection on a competi-
tive basis. 
(B) ALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall 
convene a committee of Executive agencies to 
determine allocation from the Fund to carry out 
this subsection after a competitive assessment 
of the technical and economic effectiveness of 
each application for a loan under this sub-
section. 
(C) SELECTION.—In determining whether 
to provide a loan to an Executive agency for a 
project under this subsection, the Secretary 
shall consider— 
(i) 
the 
cost-effectiveness 
of 
the 
project; 
(ii) the amount of energy and cost 
savings anticipated to the Federal Govern-
ment; 
(iii) the amount of funding committed 
to the project by the agency; 
(iv) the extent that a project will le-
verage financing from other non-Federal 
sources; and 
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