42 U.S.C. § 7628 — Demonstration grant program for local governments

(a) Grant program. (1) The Administrator must run a competitive grant program helping local governments — cities and counties — deploy cost-effective technologies in their buildings and achieve verified operational savings. (2) The federal government normally pays 40 percent of a funded project's cost. The Administrator can waive up to 100 percent of the local government's share for communities the Administrator determines are economically distressed, using published objective criteria. (3) No single grant can exceed $1,000,000. (b) Guidelines. (1) Within one year of December 19, 2007, the Administrator must issue guidelines for running this program. (2) These guidelines must set (A) standards for monitoring and verifying the cost savings grantees report; (B) standards requiring grantees to run training programs and give technical assistance and education on retrofitting buildings with cost-effective technology; and (C) a rule that each grantee must achieve at least 40 percent facility-wide cost savings compared to its buildings' baseline operating costs before renovation, measured against a 3-year weather-normalized average. (c) State and local law still applies. Nothing in this section overrides a state or local law that is stricter than this section's requirements. (d) Funding. Congress authorizes $20,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2007 through 2012. (e) Reports. (1) The Administrator must send Congress annual reports on the savings achieved, actions taken, and any recommendations. (2) At the program's end, the Administrator must issue a final report with findings, total savings achieved, and recommendations for future action. (f) Termination. The program ends on September 30, 2012. (g) Definitions. The terms "cost-effective technologies and practices" and "operating cost savings" carry the meanings already defined in section 17061.