PCAP - Presidential Climate Action Project

assistance.” 300 Beginning in 2006, the Secretary of Interior has been required to establish revisedFederal building energy efficiency performance standards that require that “if life-cycle costeffectivefor new Federal buildings, the buildings shall be designed to achieve energyconsumption levels that are at least 30 percent below the levels established in the 2005 version ofthe ASHRAE Standard or the International Energy Conservation Code and that sustainabledesign principles are applied to the siting, design, and construction of all new and replacementbuildings. 301Further, not later than December 19, 2008, the Secretary shall establish, by rule, revised Federalbuilding energy efficiency performance standards that apply to new Federal buildings andFederal buildings undergoing major renovations. The buildings shall be designed so that thefossil fuel-generated energy consumption of the buildings is reduced by the followingpercentages as compared with 2003 energy consumption by similar buildings – 55% by 2010;65% by 2015; 80% by 2020; 90% by 2025; 100% by 2030. 302Subsequent to release of the PCAP Report, Congress passed the EISA which created an entiresubchapter in the U.S. Code devoted to Energy Savings in Buildings and Industry. 303 The Actincludes a Zero Net Commercial Building Initiative. 304 One of the attributes of a “zero-netbuilding” is that it is designed, constructed and operated in a manner that will result in no netemissions of GHGs. 305 The goal of the initiative is to develop and disseminate technologies,practices, and policies for the development and establishment of zero net energy commercialbuildings for: (1) any commercial building newly constructed in the United States by 2030; (2)50 percent of the commercial building stock of the United States by 2040; and (3) all commercialbuildings in the United States by 2050. 306 Generally all federal agencies are prohibited fromentering into contracts or leases in buildings that have not earned the Energy Star label beginningin December 2010. An Office of High-Performance Green Buildings is established and theDirector is authorized to identify incentives to “encourage the expedited use of high-performancegreen buildings.” The law includes provisions for reviews, audits, performance standards,outreach, etc.Further, a number of executive orders have been issued in the past establishing targets and goalsfor reducing or conserving the energy used in federal buildings. Some examples of theseexecutive orders include: E.O. 13423 (sustainable buildings); E.O. 13123 (lead the nation inenergy efficient building design and establishes targets), E.O. 12902 (new building design tomeet objectives of the Order, energy efficiency and water conservation, and establishes targets).E.O. 12759 (establishes targets for reducing overall use of BTUs per gross square foot of Federalbuildings); and E.O. 12003 (includes targets for reducing annual energy use for existing Federalbuildings).300 42 U.S.C. § 6831(a)(2).301 Id. at § 6834(a)(3)(A).302 Id. at § 6834(a)( 3)(D).303 Subchapter III of Title 42 Chapter 152.304 42 U.S.C. § 17082 et. seq.305 Id. at § 17082 (a)(3)(C).306 Id. at § 17082(c).CEES 76 | P age