Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Sarah Ritwo, 202-225-2671

CARNAHAN: "It is always gratifying to work with people who are willing to set politics aside in order to do what's right for the people we represent."

WASHINGTON - Bipartisan legislation that will save taxpayer dollars and reduce the amount of energy used by the federal government is on its way to the President to be signed into law after passing the House of Representatives today.

The Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010, which was introduced by Representatives Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Judy Biggert (R-IL) along with Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME), will help make sure that Federal buildings are properly maintained and operated at their highest performance levels. The bill was approved by the Senate in July.

"Sustainability and energy conservation isn't just about the air we breathe or the water we drink. It's about saving money for families, businesses and taxpayers," said Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), House sponsor of the legislation and co-chair of the Congressional High-Performance Building Caucus. "Saving energy and taxpayer dollars shouldn't be a partisan issue. It is always gratifying to work with people who are willing to set politics aside in order to do what's right for the people we represent."

A recent study by the International Facility Management Association showed that for every $1.00 spent on facility management training, organizations reported receiving an average of $3.95 in return. The Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act will require the General Services Administration (GSA) to identify core competencies necessary for Federal personnel to maintain Federal buildings in a manner consistent with industry best practices. GSA will then work with private industry and institutions of higher learning to make sure that personnel meet those required competencies.

"What the American people want right now are spending cuts and jobs," said Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), co-chair of the Congressional High-Performance Building Caucus. "This bipartisan bill will help deliver both by cutting federal energy costs and helping train our workforce for good paying jobs utilizing cutting-edge, green technologies. The Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act is a smart investment in human energy that will benefit our environment and allow the federal government to lead by example in the rapidly-developing field of high-performance building design and maintenance. I'd like to thank my Caucus co-chair, Russ Carnahan, and Senators Tom Carper and Susan Collins for working with me to push this bill over the finish line despite a tough legislative calendar and send it to the President."

The bipartisan legislation passed today received broad support from over 50 business, advocacy, trade and building safety organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the National Institute of Building Sciences, the American Institute of Architects, and manufacturers such as Siemens, DuPont and Johnson Controls.

"I want to thank Sen. Collins, Reps. Carnahan and Biggert and my colleagues in both the Senate and the House for supporting this important bill," said Sen. Carper (D-DE). "This bipartisan legislation will ensure that the federal government has one more tool to ensure that federal buildings are properly maintained and operated at their highest performance levels. You wouldn't give a race car to an inexperienced driver and expect them to win the Indy 500. In the same way, we can't expect our federal buildings to run at peak efficiency if we don't provide our personnel with the training required to make that happen. This is just a first step to managing our nation's federal property and buildings in a more practical and cost-efficient manner I look forward to seeing the President sign our effort into law."

In fiscal year 2008, the energy bill for the Federal Government was $24.5 billion or about 0.8 percent of total Federal expenditures. Of that $24.5 billion, over $7 billion was spent on energy to operate Federal buildings alone.

"Targeted training will enable us to stress core competencies such as building operation and maintenance, energy management, safety and design functions," said Sen. Collins (R-ME). "Right now, the General Services Administration says that contractors, who operated 97 percent of the federal facility management, lack qualified, well-trained people to manage the building in the most effective manner. The result is a decline in the expected lifecycle of federal buildings and equipment.

"We need to ensure that we have the best trained, most qualified workforce operating this vast portfolio of federal assets, totaling more than 500,00 buildings, structures and associated infrastructure worldwide. Training is vital to helping guarantee that taxpayer dollars - used to operate and invest in these facilities - are being spent as efficiently and effectively as possible."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a substantial investment of $5.5 billion apportioned to GSA to upgrade its facilities. Late last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found a lack of proper expertise and training was a major challenge for the federal government in reaching its energy reduction goals (GAO-10-22). In order to safeguard this substantial investment, the Personnel Training Act will ensure that GSA has all of the tools necessary to not only retrofit the existing government building stock, but also to ensure that these buildings are properly maintained and operated at their highest performance levels.

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