S 77
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 77
To amend the Clean Air Act to reduce pollution and lower costs
for building owners.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 25 (legislative day, January 5), 2011
Mrs. BOXER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
A BILL
To amend the Clean Air Act to reduce pollution and lower costs
for building owners.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Pollution and Costs Reduction Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(1) actions taken to reduce emissions of air pollutants, as defined
in section 302 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7602), will spur investments
that create new jobs and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in
clean technology industries; and
(2) according to the Environmental Protection Agency--
(A) the average building wastes 30 percent of the energy consumed
by the building because of inefficiency; and
(B) the operating costs of the nearly 5,000,000 buildings in the
United States exceed $100,000,000,000 per year.
SEC. 3. BUILDING POLLUTION REDUCTION PROGRAM.
Section 105 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7405) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
`(f) Building Pollution Reduction Program-
`(1) DEFINITIONS- In this subsection:
`(A) AIR POLLUTANT- The term `air pollutant' has the meaning given
the term in section 302.
`(B) EMISSIONS- The term `emissions' means--
`(i) direct emissions of an air pollutant from sources that are
owned or controlled by an owner of a building; and
`(ii) indirect emissions of an air pollutant resulting from the
generation of electricity, heat, or steam purchased by the owner
of a building.
`(2) PROGRAM- The Administrator shall establish and carry out a program,
to be known as the `Building Pollution Reduction Program', to provide
assistance to owners of buildings in the United States to reduce the
emission of air pollutants and building operating costs by--
`(A) constructing highly efficient buildings in the United States;
or
`(B) increasing the efficiency of and reducing the emissions associated
with existing buildings in the United States.
`(3) REQUIREMENTS- The Administrator shall provide assistance under
this section to owners of buildings in the United States based on
the extent to which projects relating to the buildings of the owners
result in verifiable, additional, and enforceable reductions in emissions
of air pollutants through operational improvements such as--
`(A) improved energy efficiency;
`(B) increased water-use efficiency;
`(C) use of renewable energy sources; and
`(D) such additional measures, as determined by the Administrator,
as will result in a measurable decrease in emissions of air pollutants.
`(4) PRIORITY- In providing assistance under this subsection, the
Administrator shall give priority to projects that--
`(A) achieve the following minimum scores as evaluated by energy
performance benchmarking tools--
`(i) in new or renovated buildings that demonstrate exemplary
performance by achieving--
`(I) a minimum score of 75 on the benchmarking tool of the Energy
Star program established by section 324A of the Energy Policy
and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6294a); or
`(II) an equivalent score on an established energy performance
benchmarking metric selected by the Administrator, such as the
metric used for the National Building Rating Program of the
Department of Energy; and
`(ii) in retrofitted existing buildings that demonstrate--
`(I) substantial improvement in the score or rating on the benchmarking
tool described in clause (i) by a minimum of 30 points; or
`(II) an equivalent improvement using an established performance
benchmarking metric selected by the Administrator;
`(B) are completed by building owners with a proven track record
of reducing pollution through the measures described in paragraph
(3); and
`(C) result in measurable pollution reduction benefits not encompassed
within the metrics of the Energy Star program described in subparagraph
(A)(i)(I).
`(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated
to the Administrator to carry out this section such sums as are necessary
for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016.'.
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