Formal Recognition of High-Performance Green Building Partnership Consortia, 73311-73314 [E8-28564]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 / Notices
[FR Doc. E8–28632 Filed 11–28–08; 11:15
am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Assessment Governing
Board; Meeting
National Assessment
Governing Board; Education.
ACTION: Notice of Closed Teleconference
Meeting.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The notice sets forth the
schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming closed teleconference
meeting of the National Assessment
Governing Board. This notice also
describes the functions of the Board.
Notice of this meeting is required under
Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.
DATES: December 15, 2008.
Time: 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time.
Location: Via Teleconference.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Munira Mwalimu, Operations Officer,
National Assessment Governing Board,
800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite
825, Washington, DC 20002–4233,
Telephone: (202) 357–6938.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Assessment Governing Board
is established under section 412 of the
National Education Statistics Act of
1994, as amended.
The Governing Board is established to
formulate policy guidelines for the
National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP). The Board’s
responsibilities include selecting subject
areas to be assessed, developing
assessment specifications and
frameworks, developing appropriate
student achievement levels for each
grade and subject tested, developing
standards and procedures for interstate
and national comparisons, developing
guidelines for reporting and
disseminating results, and releasing
initial NAEP results to the public.
On Monday, December 15, 2008, the
full Board will hold a closed
teleconference meeting from 200 p.m. to
400 p.m. to review and discuss the
qualifications of individuals to fill the
vacant position of Executive Director of
the National Assessment Governing
Board. Based on these discussions, the
full Board will approve the hire of the
Executive Director. These discussions
pertain solely to internal personnel
rules and practices of an agency and
will disclose information of a personal
nature where disclosure would
constitute an unwarranted invasion of
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personal privacy. As such, the
discussions are protected by exemptions
2 and 6 of section 552b(c) of Title 5
U.S.C.
A summary of the activities of the
closed teleconference, and related
matters which are informative to the
public and consistent with the policy of
section 552b(c), will be available to the
public within 14 days after the meeting.
Records are kept of all Board
proceedings and are available for public
inspection at the U.S. Department of
Education, National Assessment
Governing Board, 800 North Capitol
Street, NW., Suite 825, Washington DC
20002, from 8:30 a.m. to 500 p.m.
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Dated: November 20, 2008.
Mary Crovo,
Interim Executive Director, National
Assessment Governing Board, U.S.
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. E8–28547 Filed 12–1–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Formal Recognition of HighPerformance Green Building
Partnership Consortia
U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
ACTION: Request for submission of
qualifications; request for comment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Building Technologies
Program (BTP), within DOE’s Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy, is seeking submissions from
qualified groups for formal recognition
as High-Performance Green Building
Partnership Consortia under section 421
of the Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Public Law
No. 110–140. Groups seeking
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recognition will need to satisfy the
representation qualifications as stated in
paragraph (f) of that section. DOE’s
recognition of a group as a consortium
will not guarantee any Federal funding.
Further, DOE is requesting comment on
possible factors for consideration in
future competitive selection of an entity
as a supporting consortia and potential
research, development, and deployment
partnerships.
DATES: Letters from groups seeking
recognition must be received at the
address below no later than February 2,
2009. Comments on potential future
competitive selections must be received
at the address below no later than
February 2, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Drury B. Crawley, Commercial
Buildings Team Lead, U.S. Department
of Energy, Office of Building
Technologies, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–
0121. E-mail: drury.crawley@ee.doe.gov;
telephone: (202) 586–2344.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The 4.7 million commercial buildings
in the Unites States have a collective
footprint of about 74 billion square feet.
The public and private sectors annually
spend $286 billion on new capital
construction and $177 billion for
building renovation. Commercial
buildings’ energy demand, including
lighting, heating, cooling, water heating,
ventilation, and electronics, consume 18
percent of the Nation’s primary energy,
and 35 percent of its electricity.
Commercial buildings in the United
States consume 18 quads 1 annually—a
total annual ‘‘utility bill’’ of more than
$155 billion.
Considering construction, renovation,
and energy expenditures, Federal, State,
and local governments and individuals
invest over half a trillion dollars per
year in the commercial sector of the
built environment.
Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007
Sections 421, 422, and 423 of the
Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 address the development of
commercial high-performance green
buildings. (42. U.S.C. 17081, 17082 and
17083) Section 421 of EISA directs the
Secretary of Energy to appoint a Director
of Commercial High-Performance Green
Buildings (Commercial Director). (42
1 Quad is a quadrillion BTU and equals 1015 BTU.
See the 2007 Buildings Energy Data Book, Chapter
6: Quad Equivalents, internet link at: https://
buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/?id=
view_book&c=6.
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 / Notices
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U.S.C. 17081(a)) One of the duties of the
Commercial Director is to formally
recognize one or more groups that
qualify as High-Performance Green
Building Partnership Consortia
(‘‘Partnership Consortia’’), which then
are to be consulted in developing a
report to Congress. (42 U.S.C.
17081(f)(1) and (g)) Section 422
establishes an initiative to develop and
disseminate technologies, practices, and
policies for the development and
establishment of net-zero energy
commercial buildings, with the goal of
all commercial buildings being net-zero
energy commercial buildings by 2050.
(42 U.S.C. 17082(c)) The section 422
initiative is to be carried out in
conjunction with a competitively
selected High Performance Green
Building Consortium (‘‘Supporting
Consortium’’). (42 U.S.C. 17082(d))
Additionally, the section 422 initiative
may include cost-shared research,
development, and deployment programs
to carry out the objectives of the
initiative. (42 U.S.C. 17082(d)) Section
423 of EISA outlines a public outreach
program for supporting the Net-Zero
Energy Commercial Building Initiative.
(42 U.S.C. 17083)
Commercial Building Initiative
DOE announced its ‘‘Net-Zero Energy
Commercial Building Initiative’’ (CBI)
on August 5, 2008.2 The CBI
announcement designated the Building
Technologies Program (BTP) Manager as
the Director of the High Performance
Green Commercial Building Office, and
indicated that the CBI activities will be
carried out by the BTP program. The
CBI is a multi-faceted effort designed to
achieve the goals set forth in EISA
section 422(c) and the public outreach
activities in Section 423. Section 422(c)
establishes as goals of the CBI the
development and dissemination of
technologies, practices, and policies for
the development and establishment of
net-zero energy commercial buildings
for:
(1) Any commercial building
constructed in the United States by
2030;
(2) 50 percent of the commercial
building stock of the United States by
2040; and
(3) All commercial building in the
United States by 2050.
(42 U.S.C. 17082(c)(1)–(3))
The CBI is designed to overcome the
technical challenges, market barriers
and institutional constraints inhibiting
rapid and broad adoption of
2 While section 422 of EISA uses the term ‘‘Zero
Net Energy’’ in describing the initiative, DOE has
historically used the term ‘‘Net-Zero Energy.’’
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technologies, tools, processes and
practices required to achieve net-zero
energy performance levels in
commercial buildings. To the extent
resources are made available, DOE’s CBI
will engage in cost-shared research,
development, demonstration activities,
engaging and leveraging the capabilities
in the private sector through national
energy alliances, working with national
accounts with significant building
portfolios, through partnerships with
standards and code setting bodies, as
well as with state and local
governments.
Another component of the CBI is the
DOE’s National Laboratory Collaborative
on Building Technologies, a joint
project of BTP and five National
Laboratories. The Collaborative
empowers the labs and DOE to work
closely together to set priorities for
research and combine capabilities in
working towards greater energy
efficiency in support of CBI. DOE
anticipates bringing the strengths of its
National Laboratories to bear to help
solve technical challenges, and to assist
in accomplishing the broad goals of CBI.
The CBI will include and align
existing DOE programs to advance netzero energy buildings. In February 2008
DOE launched the Retailer Energy
Alliance, an independent association of
retailers that share and develop energysaving ideas and technologies. This
Alliance is a flagship activity of the CBI.
Under the CBI, the Department plans to
launch several more energy alliances in
the commercial real estate and
institutional sectors over the next year.
This Federal Register notice requests
submissions from groups seeking to be
formally recognized as Partnership
Consortia under section 421 of EISA.
Partnership Consortia
DOE has placed a high priority on
reducing the continued upward trend in
energy use in commercial buildings. To
that end, DOE plans to formally
recognize Partnership Consortia that
represent the public and private sectors
in public-private partnerships to
promote high-performance green
buildings and net-zero energy
commercial buildings.
DOE will obtain information on the
current status of the industry through
meetings with the formally recognized
Partnership Consortia. The information
gathered from the Partnership Consortia
will be considered in developing the
biennial report to Congress required
under section 421(g) of EISA. (42 U.S.C.
17081(g)) The report required under
section 421(g) of EISA is a summary of
the status of the commercial building
initiative and the status of related State
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and local level activities. The report will
not be the basis for DOE action.
DOE will post the name, contact
information, and membership of each
formally recognized partnership
consortium on its website for reference.
No specific collaborative activities
beyond those described above between
the Commercial Director and the
Partnership Consortia are planned at
this time. DOE’s recognition of a group
as a Partnership Consortium will not
guarantee any Federal funding.
Requirements for Formal Recognition
of a Partnership Consortium
Formal recognition of a group as a
partnership consortium requires that the
group satisfy the representation
qualifications in section 421(f)(2) of
EISA as listed below. In addition to the
representative-specific criteria listed,
each of the entities seeking recognition
as a Partnership Consortium should
demonstrate the availability of funds to
participate under section 421 of EISA as
section 421 does not authorize
appropriations for recognized
Partnership Consortia.
Section 421(f)(2) requires that a group
seeking recognition as a Partnership
Consortium must include representation
from each of the areas further described
below. Note that representation
qualifications that deal with ‘‘highperformance green buildings’’ should be
considered in the context of the
statutory definition of that term.3
3 The term ’’high-performance green building’’
means a high-performance building that, during its
life-cycle, as compared with similar buildings (as
measured by Commercial Buildings Energy
Consumption Survey or Residential Energy
Consumption Survey data from the Energy
Information Agency)—
(A) Reduces energy, water, and material resource
use;
(B) Improves indoor environmental quality,
including reducing indoor pollution, improving
thermal comfort, and improving lighting and
acoustic environments that affect occupant health
and productivity;
(C) Reduces negative impacts on the environment
throughout the life-cycle of the building, including
air and water pollution and waste generation;
(D) Increases the use of environmentally
preferable products, including biobased, recycled
content, and nontoxic products with lower lifecycle impacts;
(E) Increases reuse and recycling opportunities;
(F) Integrates systems in the building;
(G) Reduces the environmental and energy
impacts of transportation through building location
and site design that support a full range of
transportation choices for users of the building; and
(H) Considers indoor and outdoor effects of the
building on human health and the environment,
including—
(i) Improvements in worker productivity;
(ii) The life-cycle impacts of building materials
and operations; and
(iii) Other factors that the Federal Director or the
Commercial Director consider to be appropriate.
(42 U.S.C. 17061(13))
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 / Notices
(A) Design professions and national
associations of architects and engineers.
At a minimum, the represented design
professions should be licensed/certified
individuals and/or firms, and
represented national architectural and
engineering associations should
represent architectural and engineering
disciplines necessary for the design of
commercial high-performance green
buildings, including architects,
mechanical engineers (inclusive of
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
specialists), electrical engineers, and
civil engineers. Compliance with the
design professional criterion can be
demonstrated through licenses and
certifications; and resumes highlighting
experience with commercial highperformance green building projects.
Compliance with the national
association criterion can be
demonstrated through association
leadership and/or participation in the
promotion and development of
commercial high-performance green
building design inclusive of public
position papers, member activities,
training course offerings, newsletters,
etc., covering the last three years; and
nationwide membership representing
architects and engineers.
(B) The development, construction,
financial, and real estate industries.
Representation should include one or
more companies/firms with
demonstrated experience in
development, construction, finance, and
real estate. Each participating firm
should demonstrate its experience in
providing development, construction,
financing, and/or related real estate
services for commercial highperformance green buildings.
Participating companies/firms
combined should have experience
providing services on a nationwide
basis.
(C) Building owners and operators
from the public and private sectors.
Represented private sector building
owners and operators should include
one or more companies/firms that own
and operate commercial highperformance green buildings. The
private sector building portfolio should
consist of buildings that are
geographically distributed nationwide.
Represented public sector building
owners and operators should include by
one or more local/municipal, State, or
Federal government entities that own
and operate commercial highperformance green buildings.
Nationwide geographic distribution of
the public sector buildings is desired,
and may be achieved through the
participation of multiple public sector
entities.
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(D) Academic and research
organizations. 4 A recognized
consortium will include representation
of academic organizations that (when
combined) offer curricula and perform
research in commercial highperformance green building design,
development, construction, and
operations fields. Participating research
organizations should demonstrate
research accomplishments and agendas
supporting commercial highperformance green buildings. Each
represented organization should
demonstrate the research
accomplishments for participating
faculty and staff in the area of
commercial high-performance green
buildings. Consortium representatives
should provide resumes, along with a
summary of topical publications and
presentations inclusive of articles,
journals, and conference proceedings,
etc., with an emphasis on commercial
high-performance green buildings.
(E) Building code agencies and
organizations, including a model energy
code setting organization.
Representation of building code
agencies and organizations should
include organizations that develop and
are responsible for the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI)
national standards, and national model
code writing organizations that
recognize ANSI standards and write
building-related ANSI approved
standards.
(F) Independent high-performance
green building associations or councils.
Represented associations/councils
should be national organizations that
address efficient resource use in the
areas of developing, promoting, and
deploying commercial highperformance green buildings.
(G), (H), and (K) Experts in indoor air
quality and environmental factors,
intelligent buildings and integrated
building information systems, and the
public transportation industry.
Consortium representatives for each of
the required expert areas should provide
resumes, along with a summary of
topical publications and presentations
inclusive of articles, journals, and
conference proceedings, etc., with an
emphasis on commercial highperformance green buildings.
(I) Utility energy efficiency programs.
Consortia representatives should
4 Section 421(f)(2)(D) states that representation of
academic and research organizations must include
at least ‘‘one national laboratory with extensive
commercial building expertise’’. (42 U.S.C.
17081(f)(2)(D)) DOE is not specifying a consortium’s
representation include at least one national
laboratory as the national laboratories will be
involved through DOE.
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73313
demonstrate experience in designing
and administering successful regional
and/or nationwide energy efficiency
programs targeting commercial
buildings, with emphasis on highperformance green buildings.
(J) Manufacturers and providers of
equipment and techniques used in highperformance green buildings. A
partnership consortium should
represent manufacturers that research,
design, and manufacture equipment for
commercial high-performance green
buildings, and organizations that
optimize building energy performance
and address building sustainability.
(L) Non-governmental energy
efficiency organizations. Represented
non-governmental energy-efficiency
organizations should demonstrate
experience with commercial highperformance green building energy
efficiency initiatives at the regional and
national levels inclusive of public
awareness campaigns, training courses,
and recognized partnership programs
offering technical assistance.
Application Instructions
Groups seeking recognition as
Partnership Consortia must provide a
letter of identification to the contact
provided in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT heading section of
this notice. The letter should include
contact information for the group. DOE
will then follow-up individually with
each group that has submitted a letter to
confirm, as appropriate, that the group
meets the representation qualifications
in section 421(f)(2). Letters must be
submitted within 60 days of the date of
this publication.
Future CBI Activities
Section 422 (b)(1) of EISA further
directs DOE to conduct a ‘‘Zero Net
Energy Commercial Building Initiative’’,
and, under section 422(b)(2), to
competitively select a Supporting
Consortium to assist DOE in developing
and carrying out the initiative. (42
U.S.C. 17082(b)(1) and (2)) The
Supporting Consortium is distinct from
the Partnership Consortia. A future
competitive solicitation will be used to
select the Supporting Consortium and
will not restrict eligibility for selection
to Partnership Consortia that apply for
recognition under this Federal Register
Notice. DOE is considering the use of
the following factors as part of the
competitive selection for the Supporting
Consortium:
• Breadth of representation of the
commercial building industry.
• Plan for managing the membership
of the consortium.
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 / Notices
• Demonstrated experience of the
organization in organizing and
managing technical meetings and
program reviews, and
• Ability of organization to provide
technical expertise for project and
technical reviews.
Additionally, DOE is considering a
solicitation, under section 422(d) of
EISA, for cost-shared RD&D
partnerships which may include:
• An agreement to build at least one
new commercial building prototype at
50 percent energy savings and retrofit at
least one existing commercial building
to achieve 30 percent savings. (New
commercial building targets will
increase to 70 percent for 2015 and netzero for 2018.)
• Cost-shared testing, evaluation, and
demonstration of technologies and
approaches.
• Carrying out pilot programs and
demonstration projects to evaluate
replicable approaches.
DOE requests comment on the initial
criteria being considered for the
competitive selection of the Supporting
Consortium and the cost-shared RD&D
partnerships. Comments should be sent
to the contact identified in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November
14, 2008.
John F. Mizroch,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. E8–28564 Filed 12–1–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 459–242]
Ameren/UE; Notice of Application for
Amendment of License and Soliciting
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and
Protests
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
November 25, 2008.
a. Type of Application: Non-project
use of project lands and waters.
b. Project Number: 459–242.
c. Date Filed: October 21, 2008.
d. Applicant: Ameren/UE.
e. Name of Project: Osage
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The proposed lease
agreements are located near mile marker
83.7 on the main channel of Lake of the
Ozarks and +0.5 on Feaster Cove, in
Benton County, Missouri.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Jeff Green,
Shoreline Supervisor, Ameren/UE, P.O.
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20:52 Dec 01, 2008
Jkt 217001
Box 993, Lake Ozark, MO 65049, (573)
365–9214.
i. FERC Contact: Any questions on
this notice should be addressed to
Shana High at (202) 502–8674.
j. Deadline for filing comments and/
or motions: December 24, 2008.
All documents (original and eight
copies) should be filed with: Kimberly
D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure require all interveners
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person whose name appears on the
official service list for the project.
Further, if an intervener files comments
or documents with the Commission
relating to the merits of an issue that
may affect the responsibilities of a
particular resource agency, they must
also serve a copy of the document on
that resource agency. A copy of any
motion to intervene must also be served
upon each representative of the
Applicant specified in the particular
application.
k. Description of Request: Union
Electric Company, dba AmerenUE,
requests approval to grant conditional
lease agreements to eight single
dwelling property owners with
buildings either partially or totally
within the project boundary. This
application was filed after consultation
with the appropriate agencies.
l. Locations of the Application: A
copy of the application is available for
inspection and reproduction at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room,
located at 888 First Street, NE., Room
2A, Washington, DC 20426, or by calling
(202) 502–8371. This filing may also be
viewed on the Commission’s Web site at
https://www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the docket number field (p–459) to
access the document. You may also
register online at https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be
notified via e-mail of new filings and
issuances related to this or other
pending projects. For assistance, call 1–
866–208–3372 or e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, for TTY,
call (202) 502–8659. A copy is also
available for inspection and
reproduction at the address in item (h)
above.
m. Individuals desiring to be included
on the Commission’s mailing list should
so indicate by writing to the Secretary
of the Commission.
n. Comments, Protests, or Motions to
Intervene: Anyone may submit
comments, a protest, or a motion to
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intervene in accordance with the
requirements of Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214.
In determining the appropriate action to
take, the Commission will consider all
protests or other comments filed, but
only those who file a motion to
intervene in accordance with the
Commission’s Rules may become a
party to the proceeding. Any comments,
protests, or motions to intervene must
be received on or before the specified
comment date for the particular
application.
o. Any filings must bear in all capital
letters the title ‘‘COMMENTS’’,
‘‘PROTEST’’, or ‘‘MOTION TO
INTERVENE’’, as applicable, and the
Project Number of the particular
application to which the filing refers.
p. Agency Comments: Federal, state,
and local agencies are invited to file
comments on the described application.
A copy of the application may be
obtained by agencies directly from the
Applicant. If an agency does not file
comments within the time specified for
filing comments, it will be presumed to
have no comments. One copy of an
agency’s comments must also be sent to
the Applicant’s representatives.
q. Comments, protests and
interventions may be filed electronically
via the Internet in lieu of paper. See, 18
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission’s Web
site at https://www.ferc.gov under the
‘‘e-Filing’’ link.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–28581 Filed 12–1–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 459–243]
Ameren/UE; Notice of Application for
Amendment of License and Soliciting
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and
Protests
November 25, 2008.
a. Type of Application: Non-project
use of project lands and waters.
b. Project Number: 459–243.
c. Date Filed: November 7, 2008.
d. Applicant: Ameren/UE.
e. Name of Project: Osage
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The proposed
development is located near mile
marker 8.3+0.9 in Workman Hollow
Cove on the Lake of the Ozarks, in
Camden County, Missouri.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73311-73314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-28564]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Formal Recognition of High-Performance Green Building Partnership
Consortia
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy.
ACTION: Request for submission of qualifications; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Building Technologies Program (BTP), within DOE's Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is seeking submissions from
qualified groups for formal recognition as High-Performance Green
Building Partnership Consortia under section 421 of the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Public Law No. 110-140.
Groups seeking recognition will need to satisfy the representation
qualifications as stated in paragraph (f) of that section. DOE's
recognition of a group as a consortium will not guarantee any Federal
funding. Further, DOE is requesting comment on possible factors for
consideration in future competitive selection of an entity as a
supporting consortia and potential research, development, and
deployment partnerships.
DATES: Letters from groups seeking recognition must be received at the
address below no later than February 2, 2009. Comments on potential
future competitive selections must be received at the address below no
later than February 2, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Drury B. Crawley, Commercial Buildings
Team Lead, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Building Technologies,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. E-mail:
drury.crawley@ee.doe.gov; telephone: (202) 586-2344.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The 4.7 million commercial buildings in the Unites States have a
collective footprint of about 74 billion square feet. The public and
private sectors annually spend $286 billion on new capital construction
and $177 billion for building renovation. Commercial buildings' energy
demand, including lighting, heating, cooling, water heating,
ventilation, and electronics, consume 18 percent of the Nation's
primary energy, and 35 percent of its electricity. Commercial buildings
in the United States consume 18 quads \1\ annually--a total annual
``utility bill'' of more than $155 billion.
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\1\ Quad is a quadrillion BTU and equals 1015 BTU.
See the 2007 Buildings Energy Data Book, Chapter 6: Quad
Equivalents, internet link at: https://
buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/?id=view_book&c=6.
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Considering construction, renovation, and energy expenditures,
Federal, State, and local governments and individuals invest over half
a trillion dollars per year in the commercial sector of the built
environment.
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
Sections 421, 422, and 423 of the Energy Independence and Security
Act of 2007 address the development of commercial high-performance
green buildings. (42. U.S.C. 17081, 17082 and 17083) Section 421 of
EISA directs the Secretary of Energy to appoint a Director of
Commercial High-Performance Green Buildings (Commercial Director). (42
[[Page 73312]]
U.S.C. 17081(a)) One of the duties of the Commercial Director is to
formally recognize one or more groups that qualify as High-Performance
Green Building Partnership Consortia (``Partnership Consortia''), which
then are to be consulted in developing a report to Congress. (42 U.S.C.
17081(f)(1) and (g)) Section 422 establishes an initiative to develop
and disseminate technologies, practices, and policies for the
development and establishment of net-zero energy commercial buildings,
with the goal of all commercial buildings being net-zero energy
commercial buildings by 2050. (42 U.S.C. 17082(c)) The section 422
initiative is to be carried out in conjunction with a competitively
selected High Performance Green Building Consortium (``Supporting
Consortium''). (42 U.S.C. 17082(d)) Additionally, the section 422
initiative may include cost-shared research, development, and
deployment programs to carry out the objectives of the initiative. (42
U.S.C. 17082(d)) Section 423 of EISA outlines a public outreach program
for supporting the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative. (42
U.S.C. 17083)
Commercial Building Initiative
DOE announced its ``Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building
Initiative'' (CBI) on August 5, 2008.\2\ The CBI announcement
designated the Building Technologies Program (BTP) Manager as the
Director of the High Performance Green Commercial Building Office, and
indicated that the CBI activities will be carried out by the BTP
program. The CBI is a multi-faceted effort designed to achieve the
goals set forth in EISA section 422(c) and the public outreach
activities in Section 423. Section 422(c) establishes as goals of the
CBI the development and dissemination of technologies, practices, and
policies for the development and establishment of net-zero energy
commercial buildings for:
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\2\ While section 422 of EISA uses the term ``Zero Net Energy''
in describing the initiative, DOE has historically used the term
``Net-Zero Energy.''
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(1) Any commercial building constructed in the United States by
2030;
(2) 50 percent of the commercial building stock of the United
States by 2040; and
(3) All commercial building in the United States by 2050.
(42 U.S.C. 17082(c)(1)-(3))
The CBI is designed to overcome the technical challenges, market
barriers and institutional constraints inhibiting rapid and broad
adoption of technologies, tools, processes and practices required to
achieve net-zero energy performance levels in commercial buildings. To
the extent resources are made available, DOE's CBI will engage in cost-
shared research, development, demonstration activities, engaging and
leveraging the capabilities in the private sector through national
energy alliances, working with national accounts with significant
building portfolios, through partnerships with standards and code
setting bodies, as well as with state and local governments.
Another component of the CBI is the DOE's National Laboratory
Collaborative on Building Technologies, a joint project of BTP and five
National Laboratories. The Collaborative empowers the labs and DOE to
work closely together to set priorities for research and combine
capabilities in working towards greater energy efficiency in support of
CBI. DOE anticipates bringing the strengths of its National
Laboratories to bear to help solve technical challenges, and to assist
in accomplishing the broad goals of CBI.
The CBI will include and align existing DOE programs to advance
net-zero energy buildings. In February 2008 DOE launched the Retailer
Energy Alliance, an independent association of retailers that share and
develop energy-saving ideas and technologies. This Alliance is a
flagship activity of the CBI. Under the CBI, the Department plans to
launch several more energy alliances in the commercial real estate and
institutional sectors over the next year.
This Federal Register notice requests submissions from groups
seeking to be formally recognized as Partnership Consortia under
section 421 of EISA.
Partnership Consortia
DOE has placed a high priority on reducing the continued upward
trend in energy use in commercial buildings. To that end, DOE plans to
formally recognize Partnership Consortia that represent the public and
private sectors in public-private partnerships to promote high-
performance green buildings and net-zero energy commercial buildings.
DOE will obtain information on the current status of the industry
through meetings with the formally recognized Partnership Consortia.
The information gathered from the Partnership Consortia will be
considered in developing the biennial report to Congress required under
section 421(g) of EISA. (42 U.S.C. 17081(g)) The report required under
section 421(g) of EISA is a summary of the status of the commercial
building initiative and the status of related State and local level
activities. The report will not be the basis for DOE action.
DOE will post the name, contact information, and membership of each
formally recognized partnership consortium on its website for
reference. No specific collaborative activities beyond those described
above between the Commercial Director and the Partnership Consortia are
planned at this time. DOE's recognition of a group as a Partnership
Consortium will not guarantee any Federal funding.
Requirements for Formal Recognition of a Partnership Consortium
Formal recognition of a group as a partnership consortium requires
that the group satisfy the representation qualifications in section
421(f)(2) of EISA as listed below. In addition to the representative-
specific criteria listed, each of the entities seeking recognition as a
Partnership Consortium should demonstrate the availability of funds to
participate under section 421 of EISA as section 421 does not authorize
appropriations for recognized Partnership Consortia.
Section 421(f)(2) requires that a group seeking recognition as a
Partnership Consortium must include representation from each of the
areas further described below. Note that representation qualifications
that deal with ``high-performance green buildings'' should be
considered in the context of the statutory definition of that term.\3\
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\3\ The term ''high-performance green building'' means a high-
performance building that, during its life-cycle, as compared with
similar buildings (as measured by Commercial Buildings Energy
Consumption Survey or Residential Energy Consumption Survey data
from the Energy Information Agency)--
(A) Reduces energy, water, and material resource use;
(B) Improves indoor environmental quality, including reducing
indoor pollution, improving thermal comfort, and improving lighting
and acoustic environments that affect occupant health and
productivity;
(C) Reduces negative impacts on the environment throughout the
life-cycle of the building, including air and water pollution and
waste generation;
(D) Increases the use of environmentally preferable products,
including biobased, recycled content, and nontoxic products with
lower life-cycle impacts;
(E) Increases reuse and recycling opportunities;
(F) Integrates systems in the building;
(G) Reduces the environmental and energy impacts of
transportation through building location and site design that
support a full range of transportation choices for users of the
building; and
(H) Considers indoor and outdoor effects of the building on
human health and the environment, including--
(i) Improvements in worker productivity;
(ii) The life-cycle impacts of building materials and
operations; and
(iii) Other factors that the Federal Director or the Commercial
Director consider to be appropriate.
(42 U.S.C. 17061(13))
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[[Page 73313]]
(A) Design professions and national associations of architects and
engineers. At a minimum, the represented design professions should be
licensed/certified individuals and/or firms, and represented national
architectural and engineering associations should represent
architectural and engineering disciplines necessary for the design of
commercial high-performance green buildings, including architects,
mechanical engineers (inclusive of heating, ventilation and air-
conditioning specialists), electrical engineers, and civil engineers.
Compliance with the design professional criterion can be demonstrated
through licenses and certifications; and resumes highlighting
experience with commercial high-performance green building projects.
Compliance with the national association criterion can be demonstrated
through association leadership and/or participation in the promotion
and development of commercial high-performance green building design
inclusive of public position papers, member activities, training course
offerings, newsletters, etc., covering the last three years; and
nationwide membership representing architects and engineers.
(B) The development, construction, financial, and real estate
industries. Representation should include one or more companies/firms
with demonstrated experience in development, construction, finance, and
real estate. Each participating firm should demonstrate its experience
in providing development, construction, financing, and/or related real
estate services for commercial high-performance green buildings.
Participating companies/firms combined should have experience providing
services on a nationwide basis.
(C) Building owners and operators from the public and private
sectors. Represented private sector building owners and operators
should include one or more companies/firms that own and operate
commercial high-performance green buildings. The private sector
building portfolio should consist of buildings that are geographically
distributed nationwide. Represented public sector building owners and
operators should include by one or more local/municipal, State, or
Federal government entities that own and operate commercial high-
performance green buildings. Nationwide geographic distribution of the
public sector buildings is desired, and may be achieved through the
participation of multiple public sector entities.
(D) Academic and research organizations. \4\ A recognized
consortium will include representation of academic organizations that
(when combined) offer curricula and perform research in commercial
high-performance green building design, development, construction, and
operations fields. Participating research organizations should
demonstrate research accomplishments and agendas supporting commercial
high-performance green buildings. Each represented organization should
demonstrate the research accomplishments for participating faculty and
staff in the area of commercial high-performance green buildings.
Consortium representatives should provide resumes, along with a summary
of topical publications and presentations inclusive of articles,
journals, and conference proceedings, etc., with an emphasis on
commercial high-performance green buildings.
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\4\ Section 421(f)(2)(D) states that representation of academic
and research organizations must include at least ``one national
laboratory with extensive commercial building expertise''. (42
U.S.C. 17081(f)(2)(D)) DOE is not specifying a consortium's
representation include at least one national laboratory as the
national laboratories will be involved through DOE.
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(E) Building code agencies and organizations, including a model
energy code setting organization. Representation of building code
agencies and organizations should include organizations that develop
and are responsible for the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) national standards, and national model code writing
organizations that recognize ANSI standards and write building-related
ANSI approved standards.
(F) Independent high-performance green building associations or
councils. Represented associations/councils should be national
organizations that address efficient resource use in the areas of
developing, promoting, and deploying commercial high-performance green
buildings.
(G), (H), and (K) Experts in indoor air quality and environmental
factors, intelligent buildings and integrated building information
systems, and the public transportation industry. Consortium
representatives for each of the required expert areas should provide
resumes, along with a summary of topical publications and presentations
inclusive of articles, journals, and conference proceedings, etc., with
an emphasis on commercial high-performance green buildings.
(I) Utility energy efficiency programs. Consortia representatives
should demonstrate experience in designing and administering successful
regional and/or nationwide energy efficiency programs targeting
commercial buildings, with emphasis on high-performance green
buildings.
(J) Manufacturers and providers of equipment and techniques used in
high-performance green buildings. A partnership consortium should
represent manufacturers that research, design, and manufacture
equipment for commercial high-performance green buildings, and
organizations that optimize building energy performance and address
building sustainability.
(L) Non-governmental energy efficiency organizations. Represented
non-governmental energy-efficiency organizations should demonstrate
experience with commercial high-performance green building energy
efficiency initiatives at the regional and national levels inclusive of
public awareness campaigns, training courses, and recognized
partnership programs offering technical assistance.
Application Instructions
Groups seeking recognition as Partnership Consortia must provide a
letter of identification to the contact provided in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT heading section of this notice. The letter should
include contact information for the group. DOE will then follow-up
individually with each group that has submitted a letter to confirm, as
appropriate, that the group meets the representation qualifications in
section 421(f)(2). Letters must be submitted within 60 days of the date
of this publication.
Future CBI Activities
Section 422 (b)(1) of EISA further directs DOE to conduct a ``Zero
Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative'', and, under section
422(b)(2), to competitively select a Supporting Consortium to assist
DOE in developing and carrying out the initiative. (42 U.S.C.
17082(b)(1) and (2)) The Supporting Consortium is distinct from the
Partnership Consortia. A future competitive solicitation will be used
to select the Supporting Consortium and will not restrict eligibility
for selection to Partnership Consortia that apply for recognition under
this Federal Register Notice. DOE is considering the use of the
following factors as part of the competitive selection for the
Supporting Consortium:
Breadth of representation of the commercial building
industry.
Plan for managing the membership of the consortium.
[[Page 73314]]
Demonstrated experience of the organization in organizing
and managing technical meetings and program reviews, and
Ability of organization to provide technical expertise for
project and technical reviews.
Additionally, DOE is considering a solicitation, under section
422(d) of EISA, for cost-shared RD&D partnerships which may include:
An agreement to build at least one new commercial building
prototype at 50 percent energy savings and retrofit at least one
existing commercial building to achieve 30 percent savings. (New
commercial building targets will increase to 70 percent for 2015 and
net-zero for 2018.)
Cost-shared testing, evaluation, and demonstration of
technologies and approaches.
Carrying out pilot programs and demonstration projects to
evaluate replicable approaches.
DOE requests comment on the initial criteria being considered for
the competitive selection of the Supporting Consortium and the cost-
shared RD&D partnerships. Comments should be sent to the contact
identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2008.
John F. Mizroch,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. E8-28564 Filed 12-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
