42 U.S.C. § 17122

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)

Section 17122 - Research and development

(a) Establishment

The Federal Director and the Commercial Director, jointly and in coordination with the Advisory Committee, shall-

(1)

(A) survey existing research and studies relating to high-performance green buildings; and

(B) coordinate activities of common interest;

(2) develop and recommend a high-performance green building research plan that-

(A) identifies information and research needs, including the relationships between human health, occupant productivity, safety, security, and accessibility and each of-

(i) emissions from materials and products in the building;

(ii) natural day lighting;

(iii) ventilation choices and technologies;

(iv) heating, cooling, and system control choices and technologies;

(v) moisture control and mold;

(vi) maintenance, cleaning, and pest control activities;

(vii) acoustics;

(viii) access to public transportation; and

(ix) other issues relating to the health, comfort, productivity, and performance of occupants of the building;

(B) promotes the development and dissemination of high-performance green building measurement tools that, at a minimum, may be used-

(i) to monitor and assess the life-cycle performance of facilities (including demonstration projects) built as high-performance green buildings; and

(ii) to perform life-cycle assessments; and

(C) identifies and tests new and emerging technologies for high-performance green buildings;

(3) assist the budget and life-cycle costing functions of the Directors' Offices under section 17092(d) of this title;

(4) study and identify potential benefits of green buildings relating to security, natural disaster, and emergency needs of the Federal Government; and

(5) support other research initiatives determined by the Directors' Offices.

(b) Indoor air quality

The Federal Director, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Advisory Committee, shall develop and carry out a comprehensive indoor air quality program for all Federal facilities to ensure the safety of Federal workers and facility occupants-

(1) during new construction and renovation of facilities; and

(2) in existing facilities.

42 U.S.C. § 17122

Pub. L. 110-140, title IV, §492, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1651.

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATESection effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110-140 set out as a note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress.

Administrator

The term "Administrator" means the Administrator of General Services.

Advisory Committee

The term "Advisory Committee" means the Green Building Advisory Committee established under section 484.1

Commercial Director

The term "Commercial Director" means the individual appointed to the position established under section 17081 of this title.

Federal Director

The term "Federal Director" means the individual appointed to the position established under section 17092(a) of this title.

high-performance green building

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.