
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC6831]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
          CHAPTER 81--ENERGY CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE RENEWAL
 
     SUBCHAPTER II--ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS FOR NEW BUILDINGS
 
Sec. 6831. Congressional findings and purpose

    (a) The Congress finds that--
        (1) large amounts of fuel and energy are consumed unnecessarily 
    each year in heating, cooling, ventilating, and providing domestic 
    hot water for newly constructed residential and commercial buildings 
    because such buildings lack adequate energy conservation features;
        (2) Federal voluntary performance standards for newly 
    constructed buildings can prevent such waste of energy, which the 
    Nation can no longer afford in view of its current and anticipated 
    energy shortage;
        (3) the failure to provide adequate energy conservation measures 
    in newly constructed buildings increases long-term operating costs 
    that may affect adversely the repayment of, and security for, loans 
    made, insured, or guaranteed by Federal agencies or made by 
    federally insured or regulated instrumentalities; and
        (4) State and local building codes or similar controls can 
    provide an existing means by which to assure, in coordination with 
    other building requirements and with a minimum of Federal 
    interference in State and local transactions, that newly constructed 
    buildings contain adequate energy conservation features.

    (b) The purposes of this subchapter, therefore, are to--
        (1) redirect Federal policies and practices to assure that 
    reasonable energy conservation features will be incorporated into 
    new commercial and residential buildings receiving Federal financial 
    assistance;
        (2) provide for the development and implementation, as soon as 
    practicable, of voluntary performance standards for new residential 
    and commercial buildings which are designed to achieve the maximum 
    practicable improvements in energy efficiency and increases in the 
    use of nondepletable sources of energy; and
        (3) encourage States and local governments to adopt and enforce 
    such standards through their existing building codes and other 
    construction control mechanisms, or to apply them through a special 
    approval process.

(Pub. L. 94-385, title III, Sec. 302, Aug. 14, 1976, 90 Stat. 1144; Pub. 
L. 97-35, title X, Sec. 1041(a), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 621.)


                               Amendments

    1981--Subsecs. (a)(2), (b)(2). Pub. L. 97-35 inserted ``voluntary'' 
before ``performance standards''.


                    Effective Date of 1981 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 97-35 effective Aug. 13, 1981, see section 1038 
of Pub. L. 97-35, set out as a note under section 6240 of this title.


                               Short Title

    For short title of this subchapter as the ``Energy Conservation 
Standards for New Buildings Act of 1976'', see section 301 of Pub. L. 
94-385, set out as a note under section 6801 of this title.


                            Cross References

    Energy conservation in Federal buildings, see section 8251 et seq. 
of this title.
    Residential energy conservation, see section 8211 et seq. of this 
title.
