Source: United States General Services Administration
April 19, 2023
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda enables energy and cost-saving improvements for four federal buildings, with additional funding for clean materials at Stokes Courthouse plaza
CLEVELAND — Today, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan toured the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland and announced an investment of more than $30 million as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
That investment will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs annually, cut pollution, and create local jobs.
Nearly $10 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding will upgrade building infrastructure and install new technologies that will reduce energy consumption and costs at four federal buildings in northern Ohio. Through an Energy Savings Performance Contract awarded to Johnson Controls, these investments are estimated to save about $300,000 per year in energy costs and reduce emissions by about 1,600 metric tons per year.
This project is the first Inflation Reduction Act investment from the $975 million provided to GSA for emerging and sustainable technologies.
Approximately $9 million of this funding will go toward energy and cost-saving upgrades at the Stokes Courthouse. This includes converting it into an all-electric building in which none of the equipment will use onsite fossil fuel combustion, making it GSA’s first retrofit project to meet the recently released Federal Building Performance Standard.
Gas-fired heaters will be replaced with electric units and the existing electric boilers and electric chillers, which are near the end of their useful life, will be replaced with new, more efficient, state-of-the-art electric chillers and boilers. The fluorescent light fixtures will be replaced with LED light fixtures for better energy savings.
These efforts, coupled with the Administration’s goal to achieve 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity across the federal government by 2030, will enable the building to run entirely on clean energy, further reducing emissions from GSA’s building portfolio and improving air quality.
An additional $20 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding will help complete the Stokes Courthouse plaza in a sustainable way with low-embodied carbon construction materials that reward cleaner American manufacturing. The project will enhance the visual appearance of this public space and improve pedestrian access to the courthouse.
“These investments are a prime example of how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is a triple-win: we’re creating good jobs, saving taxpayer dollars through energy efficiency, and ensuring a healthier, brighter future for our communities and our kids,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “We look forward to working with industry and other stakeholders as we make investments across northern Ohio.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act is already delivering improvements for Ohio,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown. “This investment will save taxpayers money year after year, and create good jobs for local skilled trades workers in our city.”
“Creating a clean energy future nationwide starts locally,” said Rep. Shontel Brown. “The Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda delivers real results for Northeast Ohio by creating jobs, investing in groundbreaking clean energy initiatives, and ensuring a more sustainable future for our children. With these investments, we can make meaningful progress in our fight against climate change and foster a clean energy economy.”
Overall, the Inflation Reduction Act provided GSA with $2.15 billion for low-embodied carbon materials for construction projects; $975 million to support emerging and sustainable technologies; and $250 million for measures to convert federal facilities into High Performance Green Buildings.
GSA estimates that this $3.4 billion will create over 9,500 average annual jobs nationwide for the duration of the projects, support $2.8 billion in labor income, and generate nearly $1 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments. In total, Inflation Reduction Act investments from GSA are expected to avoid more than 2.5 million metric tons of emissions and save $720 million in cost avoidance over the next two decades.
President Biden has charged the federal government to lead by example by sustainably managing its footprint of over 300,000 buildings, over 600,000 vehicles, and $650 billion spent annually on goods and services. On Dec. 8, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14057 and issued his Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs the federal government to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning federal infrastructure to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings, powered by carbon pollution-free electricity.
More information on the Inflation Reduction Act’s impact on delivering clean energy in Ohio is here.
###
About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.