North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chair, my amendment preserves section 433.

H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act, deliberately removes the energy usage goals for Federal buildings.

In 2007, under the Energy Independence and Security Act, our last energy infrastructure overhaul bill, a provision was included that set a goal for new Federal buildings to have net-zero energy usage by 2030. This naturally also meant the Federal Government would have a corresponding goal of reducing fossil-fuel-generated electricity consumption in its buildings.

This provision was forward-thinking. The Federal Government will lead by example in the transition to less-polluting buildings and show what the next generation of infrastructure should look like.

Now is not the time to roll back this goal and abandon our leadership. When people mention how H.R. 8 would take us back to a 19th century economy, this is one clear example they can point to.

Commercial and residential buildings account for 39 percent of the Nation's carbon emissions. To ignore this source of pollution at a time when we are trying to keep temperatures from rising less than 2 degrees centigrade isn't just negligent, it ignores our responsibility to be a good steward of the Earth and leave it in good condition for generations to come.

With the Federal Government as the largest consumer of energy in the U.S., we must be the leader. This effort is under attack because of outdated feasibility concerns--concerns which have already been addressed. Last year, the Department of Energy proposed a rule that charts a path forward to reach the 2030 goal that is both technically possible and plausible.

I also want to address some myths about section 433. Some have characterized it as ``a ban on the Federal Government using energy from fossil fuel,'' but the law does no such thing. In fact, at no point does this provision in the current law require zero fossil fuel use for any building designed or renovated before 2030.

And despite objections from my friends at the American Gas Association, the Department of Energy actually proposed carve-outs for onsite natural gas usage in highly efficient combined heat and power systems. Natural gas may actually be an important part of the solution of getting to net-zero energy usage.

Requiring Federal buildings to meet aggressive energy targets not only reduces taxpayer costs through energy savings, it also reduces our dependence on foreign oil and leverages the government's large purchasing power to bring new technologies and materials to the marketplace. If we eliminate section 433, it could cost American consumers $700 million in savings over the next 25 years.

According to the American Institute of Architects, not only are the current targets achievable, but some buildings are already meeting the 2030 goals right now. The EU has adopted a similar goal but with a shorter time horizon.

Mr. Chair, during my 4 years in Switzerland, we cut the carbon footprint of the U.S. Embassy in half and reduced the carbon footprint of our home to zero.

In 2013, Walgreens opened a net-zero energy retail space in Evanston, Illinois. In 2015, a True Value hardware store was the first net-zero retail store in New York State.

Within the Federal Government, our military has also taken a lead on this important effort and used the goal as a means to reduce costs and increase energy security. From 2007 to 2013, the Federal Government reduced its annual energy usage by 7 percent while we continue to grow.

We must continue to encourage these energy reduction efforts. We learned a long time ago in business that if we don't have a goal we never get there. We have to have a target that we can all work to meet.

I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to reinstate the energy usage goals for Federal buildings.

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