High-Performance Green Buildings Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3591
Sponsor: Sen. Jeffords, James M. [I-VT]
Introduced: 2006-06-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Air conditioning
Auditing
Awards, medals, prizes
Building construction
Child health
Commemorations
Commuting
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Cost accounting
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency Management
Energy
Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
Environmental health
Executive reorganization
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal budgets
Federal employees
Federal installations
Federal office buildings
Finance and Financial Sector
General Services Administration
Government Operations and Politics
Government procurement
Government publicity
Green products
Health
Heating
Indoor air pollution
Internet
Labor productivity
Landscape architecture
Law
Lead
Lighting
Maintenance and repair
Mass rapid transit
Occupational health and safety
Office of Management and Budget
Pest control
Planning-programming-budgeting
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Radon
Recycling of waste products
Research and development
School buildings
School health programs
School personnel
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
Student transportation
Students
Teaching materials
Technology assessment
Transportation and Public Works
Walking
Waste reduction
Water Resources Development
Water conservation
Water pollution control
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2006-06-28
text: 
High-Performance Green Buildings Act of 2006 - Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings. Requires the Office Director to: (1) establish a Green Building Advisory Committee; (2) carry out public outreach; (3) develop and recommend a high-performance green building research plan; (4) analyze current budget and contracting practices that affect achievement of high-performance green buildings; and (5) develop and implement a comprehensive indoor air quality program for federal facilities.
 
Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to educational agencies for use in: (1) providing technical assistance for EPA's programs (including the Tools for Schools Program and the Healthy School Environmental Assessment Tool) to schools for use in addressing environmental issues; and (2) developing state school environmental quality plans. Authorizes the EPA to provide grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in community and public education on healthy school environments.
 
Requires the EPA to develop school site acquisition guidelines that account for: (1) the special vulnerability of children to hazardous substances or pollution exposure where the potential for site contamination exists; (2) available modes of transportation; and (3) potential use of the school as an emergency shelter.
 
Requires the EPA to issue guidelines for states in developing and implementing environmental health programs for schools.
 
Requires the Director to identify incentives to encourage the use of green buildings and related technology in federal government operations.
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to: (1) revise applicable acquisition regulations; and (2) issue guidance to federal procurement executives on renegotiating proposed facilities design, existing facilities renovations, and eased facilities improvements.
 
Requires the Director to consult with the Committee to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Stewardship Scorecard announced at the White House Summit on federal sustainable buildings in 2006.
 
Requires the Office to carry out specified demonstration projects at federal buildings and universities to contribute to its research goals.

action_date: 2006-11-13
text: 
High-Performance Green Buildings Act of 2006 - (Sec. 1) Defines a &quot;high-performance green building&quot; as one: (1) that during its life-cycle reduces energy, water, and material resource use and the generation of waste, improves indoor environmental quality and its impacts on human health and the environment, increases the use of environmentally preferable products and reuse and recycling opportunities, and integrates building systems; and (2) for which the environmental and energy impacts of building location and site design are considered during planning, design, and construction.
 

Title I: Office of High-Performance Green Buildings 
- (Sec. 102) Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings. Requires the Office Director to: (1) ensure full coordination of high-performance green building information and activities within the General Services Administration and all relevant federal agencies; (2) establish a Green Building Advisory Committee; (3) identify and biennially reassess improved rating standards recommended by the Committee; (4) establish a national high-performance green building clearinghouse, which shall carry out public outreach and provide technical assistance; (5) ensure coordination of research and development information; (6) develop green building standards that could be used for all federal facilities; (7) establish green practices that can be used throughout the lives of facilities; (8) analyze current budget practices and life-cycle costing issues relating to green buildings; and (9) report to Congress on green buildings issues.
 
(Sec. 103) Sets forth the membership and duties of the Advisory Committee.
 
(Sec. 105) Requires the Director to develop a research plan on high-performance green buildings that: (1) identifies research needs, including regarding the relationship between human health, occupant productivity, and each of the following: emissions from materials and products in the building, natural day lighting, ventilation choices and technologies, heating and cooling systems, moisture control and mold, maintenance and cleaning, and pest control; and (2) promotes the development and dissemination of high-performance green building measurement tools. Requires the Director to study and identify benefits of green buildings relating to security, natural disasters, and the federal government's emergency needs.
 
(Sec. 106) Requires the Director to identify, review, and analyze current budget and contracting practices for building a high-performance green building, to develop guidance and conduct training sessions on life-cycle costing, to identify tools to aid in life-cycle cost decision making, and to explore the feasibility for including the benefits of green buildings into life-cycle cost decision making. 
 
(Sec. 107) Authorizes funding for FY2008-FY2012. 
 

Title II: Healthy High-Performance Schools - 
(Sec. 202) Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to states for use in: (1) providing technical assistance for EPA's programs (including the Tools for Schools Program and the Healthy School Environmental Assessment Tool) to schools for use in addressing environmental issues; and (2) developing state school environmental quality plans. Authorizes the EPA to provide grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in community and public education on healthy school environments.
 
(Sec. 203) Requires the EPA to develop school site selection guidelines that account for: (1) the special vulnerability of children to hazardous substances or pollution exposure where the potential for site contamination exists; (2) available modes of transportation; and (3) potential use of the school as an emergency shelter.
 
(Sec. 204) Requires: (1) the Administrator to provide to the Director information relating to activities carried out under this Act; and (2) the Director to ensure that the clearinghouse makes available information on the exposure of children to environmental hazards in school facilities.
 
(Sec. 205) Authorizes funding for FY2008-FY2012. 
 

Title III: Strengthening Federal Leadership - 
(Sec. 301) Requires the Director to identify incentives to encourage the use of green buildings and related technology in federal government operations.
 
(Sec. 302) Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to revise acquisition regulations to direct federal procurement executives: (1) involved in the acquisition, construction, or major renovation of any facility to employ specified principles in such activity; and (2) involved in leasing buildings to give preference to facilities that are energy efficient and have applied high-performance and sustainable design principles during construction and renovation. Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to issue guidance to federal procurement executives on renegotiating proposed facilities design, existing facilities renovations, and eased facilities improvements.
 
(Sec. 303) Requires the Director to consult with the Committee to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Stewardship Scorecard announced at the White House Summit on federal sustainable buildings in 2006.
 

Title IV: Demonstration Project - 
(Sec. 401) Requires the Director to: (1) establish guidelines to implement a demonstration project to contribute to the Office's research goals; and (2) carry out such project in a federal building in Vermont that provides for an the evaluation of green building initiatives covered under the Act and that achieves a platinum rating under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system or equivalent rating under a comparable system. 
 
(Sec. 402) Authorizes funding for FY2008-FY2012. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-11-13
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 660.
action_date: 2006-11-13
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-358. Additional views filed.
action_date: 2006-11-13
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-358. Additional views filed.
action_date: 2006-09-13
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2006-06-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6638-6642)
action_date: 2006-06-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6637-6638)
action_date: 2006-06-28
text: Introduced in Senate