Norton Says President’s New Energy-Saving Initiative Takes Her Greening Initiatives to New Heights

Norton Says President's New Energy-Saving Initiative Takes Her Greening Initiatives to New Heights

December 2, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today applauded President Barack Obama for the innovative, energy-saving public-private partnership he has created using a Presidential Memorandum to provide almost $4 billion in federal, local and private sector energy upgrades to buildings nationwide over the next two years with no up-front cost to taxpayers. Norton, who as chair of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee in the last Congress made greening the federal sector one of her top priorities, put major provisions in the committee's energy bill that became law. However, Norton said, "The President's new initiative monetizes energy savings that would otherwise have to come immediately from federal taxpayers to pay for the $2 billion in energy-efficient upgrades for public buildings. The President has agreements with private companies that will pay the up-front costs for the government that, in return, will receive the savings in energy costs each month until the companies are repaid, with interest. Here again, the President has found a way to move an important initiative forward even when Congress did not do its part." Norton said that despite necessary fiscal austerity, failing to save energy is itself a huge expenditure that may be "penny wise" but is certainly "pound foolish."

Because the federal government is one of the largest office space tenants in the world, there are huge savings ready to be claimed through energy conservation. By getting the private sector to pick up the up-front capital investment costs, the President has greatly expanded the federal government's potential for massive energy savings using state-of-the-art green technologies, with taxpayers getting long-term savings.

As chair of the subcommittee, Norton achieved a variety of successes in making the federal government more energy- and cost-efficient, including a requirement for a 30 percent reduction in energy use in federal buildings by 2015. She said that her "Greening D.C." effort, which she began in 2008 to lead greening and energy efficiency efforts in federal and leased buildings in the District and throughout the United States, will be significantly accelerated through the President's new memorandum. Norton said that the District is already a part of the Better Buildings Challenge that the President's memorandum draws upon and has committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption in city and privately owned buildings.