Transmittal to Congress. 42 USC 6422. 42 USC 6835. 42 USC 6836. such approval porcess, any other agency of the unit of general purpose local government described in such paragraph which has authority to administer such approval process, if such agency is willing and able to administer such approval process; and (C) third, if no agency described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) is willing and able to administer such approval process, any agency of the State in which new construction is proposed which has authority to administer such approval process, if such agency is willing and able to administer such approval process. (c) The President shall transmit the final performance standards for new buildigns to both Houses of Congress upon the date of promulgation of such standards pursuant to section 304 (a), for review by the Congress under this subsection to determine whether the sanction set forth in the introductory clause to subsection (a) is necessary and appropriate to assure that such standards are in fact applied to all new buildings. Such sanction shall be deemed approved as necessary for such purpose (and shall thereafter be enforced, directly and indirectly, by each applicable person and governmental entity) if the use of such sanction is approved by a resolution of each House of Congress in accordance with the procedures specified in section 552 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act; except that for purposes of this section the 60 calendar days described in section 552 (b) and (c) (2) of such Act shall be lengthened to 90 calendar days. FEDERAL BUILDINGS SEC. 306. The head of each Federal agency responsible for the construction of any Federal building shall adopt such proceduers as may be necessary to assure that any such construction meets or exceeds the applicable final performance standards promulgated pursuant to this title. GRANTS SEC. 307. (a) The Secretary may make grants to States and units of general purpose local government to assist them in meeting the costs of adopting and implementing performance standards or of administering State certification procedures or any applicable approval process to carry out the provisions of section 305. (b) There is authorized to be appropriated, for the purpose of carrying out this section, the following amounts (1) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1977, not to exceed $5,000,000; (2) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1978, not to exceed $10,000,000; and (3) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1979, not to exceed $10,000,000. Any amount appropriated pursuant to this subsection shall remain available until expended. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SEC. 308. The Secretary (directly, by contract, or other- 42 USC 6837. wise) may provide technical assistance to States and units of general purpose local government to assist them in meeting the requirements of this title. CONSULTATION WITH INTERESTED AND AFFECTED GROUPS SEC. 309. In developing and promulgating perform- 42 USC 6838. ance standards and carrying out other functions under this title, the Secretary shall consult with appropriate representatives of the building community (including representatives of labor and the construction industry, engineers, and architects), with appropriate public officials and organizations of public officials, and with representatives of consumer groups. For purposes of such consultation, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, make use of the National Institute of Building Sciences. The Secretary may also establish one or more advisory committees as may be appropriate. Any advisory committee or committees established pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of the Federal Advisory committees, Committee Act. Advisory establishment. 5 USC app. 1. SUPPORT ACTIVITIES SEC. 310. The Secretary, in cooperation with the Ad- 42 USC 6939. ministrator, the Secretary of Commerce utilizing the services of the Director of the National Bureau of Standards, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, and the National Institute of Building Sciences, shall carry out any activities which the Secretary determines may be necessary or appropriate to assist in the development of performance standards under section 304 (a) and to facilitate the implementation of such standards by State and local governments. Such activities shall be designed to assure that such standards are adequately analyzed in terms of energy efficiency, stimulation of use of nondepletable sources of energy, institutional resources, habitability, economic cost and benefit, and impact upon affected groups. MONITORING OF STATE AND LOCAL ADOPTION OF ENERGY SEC. 311. The Secretary, with the advice and assistance 42 USC 6840. of the National Institute of Building Sciences, shall (1) monitor the progress made by the States and their political subdivisions in adopting and enforc Report to Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976. ing energy conservation standards for new buildings; (2) identify any procedural obstacles or technical constraints inhibiting implementation of such standards; (3) evaluate the effectiveness of such prevailing standards; and (4) within 12 months after the date of enactment of this title, and semiannually thereafter, report to the Congress on (A) the progress of the States and units of general purpose local government in adopting and implementing energy conservation standards for new buildings, and (B) the effectiveness of such standards. TITLE IV-ENERGY CONSERVATION AND RE- NEWABLE-RESOURCE EXISTING BUILDINGS ASSISTANCE 42 USC 6851 note. 42 USC 6851. SHORT TITLE SEC. 401. This title may be cited as the "Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976”. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES SEC. 402. (a) The Congress finds that (1) the fastest, most cost-effective, and most environmentally sound way to prevent future energy shortages in the United States, while reducing the Nation's dependence on imported energy supplies, is to encourage and facilitate, through major programs, the implementation of energy conservation and renewable-resource energy measures with respect to dwelling units, non-residential buildings, and industrial plants; (2) current efforts to encourage and facilitate such measures are inadequate as a consequence of— (A) a lack of adequate and available financing for such measures, particularly with respect to individual consumers and owners of small businesses; (B) a shortage of reliable and impartial information and advisory services pertaining to practicable energy conservation measures and renewable-resource energy measures and the cost savings that are likely if they are implemented in such units, buildings, and plants; and (C) the absence of organized programs which, if they existed, would enable consumers, especially individuals and owners of small businesses, to undertake such measures easily and with confidence in their economic value; 1 (3) major programs of financial incentives and assistance for energy conservation measures and renewable-resource energy measures in dwelling units, nonresidential buildings, and industrial plants would (A) significantly reduce the Nation's demand for energy and the need for petroleum imports; (B) cushion the adverse impact of the high price of energy supplies on consumers, particularly elderly and handicapped low-income persons who cannot afford to make the modifications necessary to reduce their residential energy use; and (C) increase, directly and indirectly, job opportunities and national economic output; (4) the primary responsibility for the implementation of such major programs should be lodged with the governments of the States; the diversity of conditions among the various States and regions of the Nation is sufficiently great that a wholly federally administered program would not be as effective as one which is tailored to meet local requirements and to respond to local opportunities; the State should be allowed flexibility within which to fashion such programs, subject to general Federal guidelines and monitoring sufficient to protect the financial investments of consumers and the financial interest of the United States and to insure that the measures undertaken in fact result in significant energy and cost savings which would probably not otherwise occur; (5) to the extent that direct Federal administration is more economical and efficient, direct Federal financial incentives and assistance should be extended through existing and proven Federal programs rather than through new programs that would necessitate new and separate administrative bureaucracies; and (6) such programs should be designed and administered to supplement, and not to supplant or in any way conflict with, State energy conservation programs under part C of title III of the Energy Policy and Conservative Act; the emergency energy con- 42 USC 6321. servation program carried out by community action agencies pursuant to section 222(a) (12) of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964; and other forms of assistance and encouragement for energy conservation. (b) It is, therefore, the purpose of this title to encour- 42 USC 2809. age and facilitate the implementation of energy conservation measures and renewable-resource energy measures in dwelling units, nonresidential buildings, and industrial plants, through (1) supplemental State energy conservation plans; and 42 USC 6861. 42 USC 2701 note. 42 USC 6862. 29 USC 706. (2) Federal financial incentives and assistance. PART A-WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME PERSONS FINDINGS AND PURPOSE SEC. 411. (a) The Congress finds that (1) dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons frequently are inadequately insulated; (2) low-income persons, particularly elderly and handicapped low-income persons, can least afford to make the modifications necessary to provide for adequate insulation in such dwellings and to otherwise reduce residential energy use; (3) weatherization of such dwellings would lower utility expenses for such low-income owners or occupants as well as save thousands of barrels per day of needed fuel; and (4) States, through community action agencies established under the Eeconomic Opportunity Act of 1964 and units of general purpose local government, should be encouraged, with Federal financial and technical assistance, to develop and support coordinated weatherization programs designed to ameliorate the adverse effects of high energy costs on such low-income persons, to supplement other Federal programs serving such persons, and to conserve energy. (b) It is, therefore, the purpose of this part to develop and implement a supplementary weatherization assistance program to assist in achieving a prescribed level of insulation in the dwellings of low-income persons, particularly elderly and handicapped low-income persons, in order both to aid those persons least able to afford higher utility costs and to conserve needed energy. DEFINITIONS SEC. 412. As used in this part: (1) The term "Administrator" means the Administrator of the Federal Energy Administration; except that after such Administration ceases to exist, such term means any officer of the United States designated by the President for purposes of this part. (2) The term "Director" means the Director of the Community Services Administration. (3) The term "elderly" means any individual who is 60 years of age or older. (4) The term "Governor" means the chief executive officer of a State (including the Mayor of the District of Columbia). (5) The term "handicapped person" means any individual (A) who is a handicapped individual as defined in section 7(7) of the Rehabilitation Act of |