The US House passed the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act (H.R. 2126), which will reduce energy consumption, save money for families, businesses and taxpayers, and expand market opportunities for companies engaged in manufacturing and delivering energy efficient products and services. The legislation, which passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 375-36 and gained support from the entire Michigan Congressional delegation other than Congressman Justin Amash (R-Grand Rapids) and Congressman John Dingell (D-Dearborn), is the first significant energy legislation to pass the 113th Congress.
Specifically, the legislation would require the U.S. Department of Energy and the General Services Administration to develop model practices for landlords to promote cost-effective decisions that improve energy efficiency in commercial and government buildings. The legislation also includes a provision sponsored by Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) to increase the efficiency of data centers by requiring federal agencies to purchase and use more energy efficient technologies, include periodic energy efficiency evaluations for federal data centers, update a 2007 Report to Congress that has serves as the baseline for data center energy efficiency, and create an Open Data Initiative to allow innovators to make use of information on federal data center energy usage in developing new products and services to reduce energy use and save money.
Source: MiEIBC