[House Report 115-171] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 115th Congress } { Report HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session } { 115-171 ====================================================================== STREAMLINING ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR SCHOOLS ACT OF 2017 _______ June 12, 2017.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Walden, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany H.R. 627] The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 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, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. CONTENTS Page Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1 Committee Action................................................. 2 Committee Votes.................................................. 2 Oversight Findings and Recommendations........................... 2 New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 2 Congressional Budget Office Estimate............................. 2 Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 2 Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 2 Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 2 Committee Cost Estimate.......................................... 3 Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits....... 3 Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 3 Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 3 Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 3 Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 3 Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 4 Purpose and Summary H.R. 627 would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to establish a clearinghouse for disseminating information regarding available Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Committee Action The Committee on Energy and Commerce has not held hearings on the legislation. On June 7, 2017, the full Committee on Energy and Commerce met in open markup session and ordered H.R. 627, without amendment, favorably reported to the House by unanimous consent. Committee Votes Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. There were no record votes taken in connection with ordering H.R. 627 reported. Oversight Findings and Recommendations Pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee has not held hearings on this legislation. New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee finds that H.R. 627 would result in no new or increased budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues. Congressional Budget Office Estimate Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII, at the time this report was filed, the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not available. Federal Mandates Statement The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective of this legislation is to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish a clearinghouse for disseminating information regarding available Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Duplication of Federal Programs Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, no provision of H.R. 627 is known to be duplicative of another Federal program, including any program that was included in a report to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Committee Cost Estimate Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. At the time this report was filed, the estimate was not available. Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the Committee finds that H.R. 627 contains no earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits. Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, the Committee finds that H.R. 627 contains no directed rule makings. Advisory Committee Statement No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation. Applicability to Legislative Branch The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation Section 1. Short title Section 1 provides that the Act may be cited as the ``Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2017.'' Section 2. Coordination of energy retrofitting assistance for schools Section 2 would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to establish a clearinghouse for disseminating information regarding available Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. In establishing the clearinghouse, the Secretary must consult with appropriate Federal agencies to develop a list of available Federal programs and financing mechanisms; and coordinate with appropriate Federal agencies to develop a collaborative education and outreach effort to streamline communications and promote available Federal programs and financing mechanisms. Section 2 also defines the term ``school.'' Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is printed in italic and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT * * * * * * * TITLE III--IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY * * * * * * * Part G--Energy Conservation Program for Schools and Hospitals * * * * * * * guidelines Sec. 392. (a) the Secretary shall, by rule, not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this part-- (1) prescribe guidelines for the conduct of preliminary energy audits, including a description of the type, number, and distribution of preliminary energy audits of school and hospital facilities that will provide a reasonably accurate evaluation of the energy conservation needs of all such facilities in each State, and (2) prescribe guidelines for the conduct of energy audits. (b) The Secretary shall, by rule, not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this part, prescribe guidelines for State plans for the implementation of energy conservation projects in schools and hospitals. The guidelines shall include-- (1) a description of the factors which the State energy agency may consider in determining which energy conservation projects will be given priority in making grants pursuant to this part, including such factors as cost, energy consumption, energy savings, and energy conservation goals, (2) a description of the suggested criteria to be used in establishing a State program to identify persons qualified to implement energy conservation projects, and (3) a description of the types of energy conservation measures deemed appropriate for each region of the Nation. (c) Guidelines prescribed under this section may be revised from time to time after notice and opportunity for comment. (d) The Secretary shall, by rule prescribe criteria for determining schools and hospitals which are in a class of severe hardship. Such criteria shall take into account climate, fuel costs, fuel availability, ability to provide the non- Federal share of the costs, and such other factors that he deems appropriate. (e) Coordination of Energy Retrofitting Assistance for Schools.-- (1) Definition of school.--Notwithstanding section 391(6), for the purposes of this subsection, the term ``school'' means-- (A) an elementary school or secondary school (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); (B) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a))); (C) a school of the defense dependents' education system under the Defense Dependents' Education Act of 1978 (20 U.S.C. 921 et seq.) or established under section 2164 of title 10, United States Code; (D) a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; (E) a tribally controlled school (as defined in section 5212 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (25 U.S.C. 2511)); and (F) a Tribal College or University (as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b))). (2) Establishment of clearinghouse.--The Secretary, acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, shall establish a clearinghouse to disseminate information regarding available Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. (3) Requirements.--In carrying out paragraph (2), the Secretary shall-- (A) consult with appropriate Federal agencies to develop a list of Federal programs and financing mechanisms that are, or may be, used for the purposes described in paragraph (2); and (B) coordinate with appropriate Federal agencies to develop a collaborative education and outreach effort to streamline communications and promote available Federal programs and financing mechanisms described in subparagraph (A), which may include the development and maintenance of a single online resource that includes contact information for relevant technical assistance in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy that States, local education agencies, and schools may use to effectively access and use such Federal programs and financing mechanisms. * * * * * * * [all]