Federal Building Clean Jobs Act of 2021
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Federal Building Clean Jobs Act of 2021
This bill establishes additional energy-efficiency requirements and programs for federal buildings, with a particular focus on reducing energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by FY2030 through partnerships with the private sector.
Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies to reduce the following for their facilities by FY2030:
average building energy intensity (by at least 25%, relative to FY2018);
average potable water consumption intensity (by 54%, relative to FY2007);
industrial, landscaping, and agricultural water consumption (by 20%, relative to FY2018); and
specified categories of greenhouse gas emissions (by at least 40%, relative to FY2018).
Federal agencies must also implement retrofit projects that reduce the energy consumption of their facilities by at least 35%. Additionally, the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Veterans Affairs must develop plans that ensure that at least 50% of certain facilities offer zero-emission vehicle charging or fueling by December 31, 2030.
The bill directs agencies to work with the private sector through partnerships and financing opportunities in order to implement the bill's requirements.
The bill also makes several other changes relating to federal building standards and related authorities, including (1) requiring lessors (i.e., property owners) to disclose data on the utility consumption of leased spaces; (2) requiring federal agencies to assess and mitigate area flood risks, based on climate science; and (3) authorizing long-term contracts for federal purchases of renewable energy.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 18, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 16, 2021: Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
John Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced it on March 18, 2021, and 24 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 24 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 18, 2021, 2002 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1912 days ago, on June 16, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers