Greener Agencies

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., wants federal agencies to show the way when it comes to energy efficiency. In an op-ed in The Hill today, she notes that her committee worked to include several measures affecting agencies in the energy bill that passed the Senate June 21. They would:

• Require lighting retrofits and increased energy efficiency in as many as 8,000 federal buildings, with a $100 million grant program for local governments to upgrade their own buildings.
• Establish a “Green Buildings” program for new and upgraded government buildings, using sustainable products, practices and materials.
• Authorize construction of a photovoltaic “solar wall” to generate electricity at Energy Department headquarters in Washington.