Volume 152, No. 89 covering the 2nd Session of the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TO STUDY AND PROMOTE THE USE OF ENERGY EFFICIENT COMPUTER SERVERS IN THE UNITED STATES” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5001-H5003 on July 11, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TO STUDY AND PROMOTE THE USE OF ENERGY EFFICIENT COMPUTER SERVERS IN
THE UNITED STATES
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5646) to study and promote the use of energy efficient computer servers in the United States, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 5646
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. STUDY.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, through the Energy Star program, shall transmit to the Congress the results of a study analyzing the rapid growth and energy consumption of computer data centers by the Federal Government and private enterprise. The study shall include--
(1) an overview of the growth trends associated with data centers and the utilization of servers in the Federal Government and private sector;
(2) analysis of the industry migration to the use of energy efficient microchips and servers designed to provide energy efficient computing and reduce the costs associated with constructing, operating, and maintaining large and medium scale data centers;
(3) analysis of the potential cost savings to the Federal Government, large institutional data center operators, private enterprise, and consumers available through the adoption of energy efficient data centers and servers;
(4) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to the energy supply chain through the adoption of energy efficient data centers and servers, including reduced demand, enhanced capacity, and reduced strain on existing grid infrastructure, and consideration of secondary benefits, including potential impact of related advantages associated with substantial domestic energy savings;
(5) analysis of the potential impacts of energy efficiency on product performance, including computing functionality, reliability, speed, and features, and overall cost;
(6) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to the energy supply chain through the use of stationary fuel cells for backup power and distributed generation;
(7) an overview of current government incentives offered for energy efficient products and services and consideration of similar incentives to encourage the adoption of energy efficient data centers and servers;
(8) recommendations regarding potential incentives and voluntary programs that could be used to advance the adoption of energy efficient data centers and computing; and
(9) a meaningful opportunity for interested stakeholders, including affected industry stakeholders and energy efficiency advocates, to provide comments, data, and other information on the scope, contents, and conclusions of the study.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that it is in the best interest of the United States for purchasers of computer servers to give high priority to energy efficiency as a factor in determining best value and performance for purchases of computer servers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the digital economy is on the move, and we have got some great news for Michigan, a State that is very automotive dominated, with Google announcing 1,000 jobs over the next 5 years this morning to be located right outside my district in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a great and important, I think, announcement for our State, which has had a little bit of economic trouble, but is now embracing this new wave of digital innovation, the digital economy, the IT economy, as it spreads around this great country.
With that come some serious concerns for the IT community, for those who are involved in the digital economy, and for those of us, all of us, who depend on energy use.
According to industry analysts, the U.S. server market is expected to grow from 2.8 million units in 2005 to 4.9 million units in 2009, a growth rate, Mr. Speaker, of almost 50 percent. Data center energy costs are expected to soar, as companies deploy greater numbers of servers consuming more power and, in the process, emitting more heat that needs to be dissipated.
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Data center electricity costs are already in the range of $3.3 billion annually. Improved energy savings in servers will help the United States meet its energy demands to stay competitive in the global economy without having to build new generating facilities. If done right, Mr. Speaker, that is power lines that won't have to be built, it is power plants that won't have to be built just to meet the demands of what is a growing part of our economy, and that is these data centers as applies to the IT or digital economy.
Interesting, if you take a small 100,000 square foot, which is not so small, actually, annual utility cost for a data center or a server farm, it is nearly $6 million. If done right, efficient servers can result in as high as an 80 percent reduction in electricity demand. That is $4.8 million in savings if we can reach that goal. That means jobs, innovation, expansion. It means taking the money and investing it in people versus electricity or energy costs. That is a win for everybody.
Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense conservation bill that will work to reduce the need for new power plants and new transmission lines in each of our districts by driving down demand for electricity and allowing the expansion and growth of the digital economy.
There are a great number of organizations who have stepped up to support H.R. 5646, and I would like to name just a few: the Alliance to Save Energy, American Electronics Association, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Electronic Industries Alliance, Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, and TechNet.
The legislation is very straightforward. It calls for a study in our ability to get ahead of this very, very important problem looming before us, and that is the expanded use of energy.
Finally, I want to thank Ms. Eshoo for her help and support and assistance in this effort, as well as that of her staff, who have worked diligently with my staff to help put this together in a timely fashion to help meet the needs of this new and exciting American economy.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. BOUCHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5646, a measure which will require the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct an analysis of the energy effects of the expanding use of computer servers and the concentration of computer servers in large data centers. Computer server use is rapidly growing at a rate that is estimated to be 50 percent over a mere 5 years. Servers are now used in virtually every business and every government office. And now companies with large information processing needs are aggregating servers into large data centers.
The growing use of servers has an energy consequence, and it is now estimated that server operations consume electricity valued at $3 billion annually. In our ongoing efforts to become a more energy-
efficient Nation, it is appropriate that we focus on ways to encourage more energy-efficient computer servers.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy are charged with the administration of the Energy Star program, which identifies and labels energy-efficient technologies in a number of business and household products. Use of more energy-efficient products enables residential and commercial energy consumers to lower their electricity costs and also to lessen the overall national demand for electricity.
H.R. 5646 would facilitate and advance the ongoing efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency, of technology companies, and nongovernmental organizations to determine how best to measure the energy efficiency of data centers with the goal of identifying and labeling as an Energy Star product the most efficient computer server technologies.
This measure provides appropriate guidance to the EPA for use in conducting an analysis of the energy consumption of computer data centers, as well as for the identification of potential cost savings that could be achieved by identifying through the Energy Star program energy-efficient computer server systems for use in data centers.
I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) and also the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo) for their careful and thorough work and for their creativity in bringing this innovative and very timely measure to the floor. It is my privilege, Mr. Speaker, to urge its passage by the House.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Rogers from the Energy and Commerce Committee, for the work he has done on this bill. I am proud to be the Democratic lead on it. I think it is a very important step for the Congress to take. Obviously, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for it.
The bill, as you have heard, directs the EPA to study the energy efficiency of computer servers and data centers within our government, the United States Government, as well as the private sector.
Data centers are facilities that house large amounts of electronic equipment, primarily computer servers that handle data for large and complex operations which continue to grow daily in our country.
These facilities can occupy an entire room, an entire floor, or an entire building. According to industry estimates, the average annual electricity cost of running a single data center is about $6 million a year, and the cumulative energy costs for these centers is about $3.3 billion a year. So the energy demands of these operations are going to continue to grow.
They are going to continue to expand as the market for servers is expected to expand by about 50 percent over the next 5 years. And of course the by-word of this Congress and I think future Congresses is going to be energy conservation, energy conservation, energy conservation.
The EPA, high-technology companies, and nongovernmental organizations have discussed how to measure efficiency of these data centers with an eye toward providing an Energy Star rating for the most efficient technology. It has worked with other industries. It really has been a motivator. Anyone who goes out to buy appliances for their home, you look for the energy-efficient label, and that has done much to conserve in our country.
I think the study that this bill calls for will advance this, as well as helping consumers, businesses, and the government to identify the most efficient technology to meet their needs.
The bill, H.R. 5646, has the support of high-technology companies, of environmental groups, of energy companies, including the Alliance to Save Energy, the AEA, TechNet, SIA, EIA, and the ITIC.
I want to thank Mr. Rogers for accepting the changes that we suggested to the bill as reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee. I think the changes are going to ensure that the EPA will continue to seek input not only from industry stakeholders, but from environmental groups and outside efficiency experts.
We have also taken steps to ensure that the EPA examines the features and the capabilities of computer data centers in its report, and that the EPA has adequate time to prepare this study.
I thank Mr. Rogers for working so hard to make sure this comes to the floor. I urge all of my colleagues to support it. This is a good bill. It is an important step.
Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren).
Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, along with my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), I represent Silicon Valley and we certainly know the need for this legislation in Silicon Valley. As Ms. Eshoo has indicated, this bill has the support of the high-tech sector, and for a very good reason.
According to a recent report, 41 percent of Fortune 500 IT executives identified power and cooling problems for their data centers. In my own district in San Jose, we had a server farm that wanted to go in. Everybody wanted it. We had to build a power plant to actually accommodate the server farm. We are looking for energy efficiencies in this sector.
We know that climate change threatens the security and stability of our planet and economy, and everything we can do to reduce power consumption and sustain energy independence is a good thing for our planet and for our society.
I would just note that we have come a long way since I was a youngster when computers took up a room and we had punch cards and the heat and power drag was incredible. If we can reduce power consumption, we can up efficiency and production as well. This bill is a good step. The Energy Star program does not include this sector today, so this is an important step forward.
I hope that this measure will be supported by a wide margin in the House. There is no reason in the world that I can think of that any Member of this House should not vote for it. I commend Members on both sides of the aisle for their leadership in bringing this forward.
Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5646, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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