Kinzinger unveils bipartisan bill to reduce water, energy use in federal buildings

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) last week introduced the bipartisan Federal Energy and Water Management Performance Act, which would direct federal agencies to reduce energy consumption in facilities by 2.5 percent each year through 2030 and reduce water consumption 54 percent by 2030.

“Buildings in the U.S. account for 40 percent of the country’s energy use, and considering the federal government has the largest real estate holdings nationwide, we should be doing everything we can to improve its energy and water use,” Rep. Kinzinger said on Jan. 16. 

The congressman is the lead original cosponsor of H.R. 5650 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) to formally authorize the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), which is responsible for reducing energy use in federal buildings and which hasn’t received a formal authorization from Congress despite being an existing program since 1975, according to Rep. Kinzinger’s office. FEMP then would formally authorize the water reduction program for five years, add water use reduction to its mission, and set goals for agencies to reduce water and energy use in federal facilities.

Specifically, H.R. 5650 would “require agencies to coordinate with one another to improve efficiency in energy and water use,” said Rep. Kinzinger. “I’m pleased to continue this bipartisan work with Mr. Welch, and I look forward to getting this bill passed through Congress and signed into law later this year.”

Reps. Kinzinger and Welch are members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over this program and is now considering H.R. 5650.