Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I thank the leadership and Chairman Upton for bringing this bill up under suspension today, and I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado for yielding me the time.

I thank the entire Energy and Commerce Committee, which, once again, voted unanimously in committee in favor of this bill--a bill that has passed the House twice under suspension in each of the past two Congresses. Both times it passed during the final days of the Congress, and the Senate did not have a chance to take the bill up. I am glad the House is considering it now in plenty of time for the Senate to consider it and act.

I would also thank Congressman Peter Welch from Vermont for his leadership on the bill. It is no secret that he is one of the great champions in the House on the issue of energy efficiency, and it has been my pleasure to work with him.

Mr. Speaker, so many schools across the country are in need of upgrades and improvements to their facilities. In its most recent 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the condition of our Nation's schools a grade of D-plus.

As school administrators undertake badly needed improvements, they have an opportunity to substantially improve their facilities' energy efficiency, producing benefits for both the environment and the economy. In reducing their energy bills, schools can put the savings to use on other educational priorities.

According to the EPA and the Department of Energy, K-12 school districts nationwide spend approximately $8 billion on their energy bills every year--second only to personnel costs--exceeding the costs of textbooks and supplies. An estimated $2 billion of that cost could be saved by improving energy efficiency, an amount that could pay for, for example, 40 million textbooks.

Energy expenses are one of the few costs that can be reduced while at the same time improving classroom instruction. In fact, high- performance schools can lower a school district's operating costs by up to 30 percent.

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, and costly for schools to identify and take full advantage of these programs.

In addition, schools can use several different general purpose programs for energy efficiency projects if they know how to locate and apply for them.

Introduced in the Senate as S. 383 by Senator Susan Collins, this bipartisan Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act aims to provide a coordinating structure for busy school administrators to help them better navigate available Federal programs and financing options.

This legislation does not spend an additional dime and keeps its decisionmaking authority with the States, the school boards, and local officials.

This bill establishes a clearinghouse through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which 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 effort to streamline communications and promote available Federal programs. Such outreach may include a single website where school officials can learn more about the relevant programs.

Overburdened school administrators should not have to spend hours and hours wading through the Federal bureaucracy as they look for ways to improve energy efficiency. This commonsense legislation will ensure that schools can more easily take advantage of existing energy efficiency programs.

It is a strategic and cost-saving investment to relieve the fiscal pressure felt by school districts across the country, supported by overburdened homeowners, while bringing us closer to energy security in America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 627) 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 627.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 627, is an important bill that would help the Nation's schools make use of existing Federal programs to actually reduce their energy use. There currently are a number of such programs that help schools undertake projects that improve energy efficiency. Unfortunately, school districts don't always have the know- how to navigate the complexities

of the Federal system and take full advantage of these programs.

The bill creates a simple one-stop shop to get all the needed information and help school districts participate more fully in these programs. The bottom line is that the Nation's schools will, in fact, reduce their energy costs.

As it is, energy use in American K-12 schools totals $6 billion every year, and reducing this figure can certainly save taxpayer dollars or free up funds that schools can use on things other than energy bills.

This bill, H.R. 627, has no cost since it merely sets up a system under which existing school energy efficiency programs can work better.

A similar bill was passed under suspension of the rules at the end of the last Congress, and I would hope that we can do it today, at the beginning of this Congress, so that the Senate can follow suit and get this to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this great, bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to voice my strong support for H.R. 627, Mr. Cartwright's Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act. This is a great bill that will provide a coordinated structure for our Nation's schools to help them better navigate available Federal programs and financing options.

Across the 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.

This legislation passed the House previously with broad bipartisan support, and I urge everybody to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright), the author of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.