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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.
* * * * * * *
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