Last March Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, and Juanita Millender-McDonald, Chairwoman, Committee on House Administration sent a letter to The Honorable Daniel P. Beard, Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, asking him to
undertake a “Green the Capitol” initiative to ensure that the House institutes the most up-to-date industry and government standards for green building and green operating procedures. This process should include recommendations for benchmarking existing conditions; setting meaningful and measurable goals; timetables for implementing various changes in operating conditions; and measures to report progress on a regular basis.CQ.com reports that tucked away in the $3.4 Billion H.R. 2771 the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2008 passed by the house last Friday is $3.9 million for the “Greening of the Capitol” plan.
Two key tenets of the initiative — purchasing credits to offset the Capitol’s carbon-dioxide emissions and eliminating the use of coal to fuel the Capitol power plant — are included in the spending bill.The Senate's version of "the Greening of the Capitol" plan is currently being considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee. I would think the congress could come up with something more creative than "purchasing credits to offset the Capitol’s carbon-dioxide emissions." Maybe Harry Reid is more creative. The senate plan is said to "explore carbon-capture technologies that could be used at the power plant."
Such changes will ensure that the Capitol “will no longer be just a shining example of democracy but a symbol of our commitment to the future,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said June 21 when she released details of the initiative.
The sponsor of H.R. 2771 is Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D, FL-20].
I don't know the position of the Republicans on the greening initiative, but according to TheHill.com, House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) website is predominately green-colored.
