The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Remarks by the President at the 2011 Tribal Nations Conference

Department of Interior
Washington, D.C.

2:20 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you. Everybody please have a seat.  It is wonderful to see all of you. Thank you, Phyllis, for the wonderful introduction. 

I want to thank all the tribal leaders who are here for making this year’s conference the most successful yet.  I want to acknowledge outstanding members of my team that have helped pull this together, but, more importantly, day in and day out are thinking about what we can do to make sure that all the tribes that are represented have a voice here in Washington.

First of all, my outstanding Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.  We are so proud of him.  (Applause.)  Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Larry Echo Hawk.  (Applause.)  Hey! And our outstanding solicitor for the Department of Interior, Hilary Tompkins.  (Applause.)

Now, today, I’m here not only as President.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am also here as an adopted member of the Crow Nation.  (Applause.)  So I’d like to recognize my adoptive Mom and Dad, Sonny and Mary Black Eagle, who are backstage.  They’re going to be coming out here in a little bit.  I’m so grateful they took me into their family.  I bet they’re grateful that I never went through the “terrible twos” -- (laughter) -- or “terrible teens.”  They got me after I was a little more polished.  (Laughter.)

Ken Salazar, he works so hard on the issues that matter to all of you.  And we also have members of Congress here as well who are great partners in this effort.  And I finally -- I want to give a shout-out to the young people who are here as part of the White House program called “Champions for Change.”  (Applause.)  Really remarkable young people.  I had a chance to meet them backstage.  There’s Teressa Baldwin, who’s working to prevent teen suicide among Alaska Natives.  LeVon Thomas, who's bringing green jobs to the Navajo Nation.  Dallas Duplessis, who started a gardening club to promote healthy eating in Tulalip, Washington.  She wrote, “Our goal is not to be couch potatoes, but to grow some potatoes.”  (Laughter.)  I think Michelle would like that one. 
 
Standing in this room, with leaders of all ages, it’s impossible not to be optimistic about the future of Indian Country.  Obviously, we face tough times.  But you still believe that tomorrow can be better than today.  You’re out there making your communities better places to live.  What you expect -- and what you deserve -- is a federal government that helps, not hinders, your efforts.  You deserve leaders in Washington who fight for you every single day.

That’s one of the reasons I ran for this office.  When I visited the Crow Nation during the campaign, I said my job was not just to win an election; it was to make sure that Washington starts focusing on you.  I promised a true government-to-government relationship -- a relationship that recognizes our sometimes painful history, a relationship that respects the unique heritage of Native Americans and that includes you in the dream that we all share.

And together, we're building that relationship.  I told you I would bring tribal leaders to Washington to reflect -- to develop an agenda that reflects your hopes and your concerns.  And now, for a third year in a row, we have kept that promise. (Applause.)  I told you that when I was President, we wouldn’t just pay lip service to the idea of consultation.  And today, we're holding every Cabinet agency responsible for working together with Indian tribes.

I told you I'd appoint Native Americans to senior positions in the White House.  And I know that many of you have worked with Kim Teehee of Cherokee Nation, my senior policy advisor for Native American issues; and Charlie Galbraith of the Navajo Nation, in our office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

We’re working to make our government-to-government relationship even stronger.  We asked Congress to recognize the power of tribes to prosecute perpetrators of domestic violence, whether they’re Indian or non-Indian.  (Applause.)  And in the wake of the Carcieri decision, we've asked Congress to restore the Secretary of the Interior’s authority to take land into trust for federally recognized Indian tribes.  (Applause.)

So this new relationship represents a major step forward.  It is change.  But I promised even more than that.  I told you that as President, I would work with you to tackle the most difficult problems facing Native American families.  And that’s exactly what we’ve done.  We passed the Tribal Law and Order Act, and began making Indian Country a safer place to live.  We permanently authorized the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and made quality health care accessible to more Native Americans.

Just this week, we streamlined leasing regulations, which will lead to more homes, more businesses, more renewable energy on the reservation.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)

And finally, we said that even as we include Indian tribes in the broader promise of America, we're going to keep native traditions alive.  So when Michelle launched Let’s Move! in Indian Country, she brought lacrosse players to the White House, and invited Native American children to plant the “three sisters” crops in the White House vegetable garden.

While our work together is far from over, today we can see what change looks like.  It's the Native American-owned small business that's opening its doors, or a worker helping a school renovate.  It’s new roads and houses.  It’s wind turbines going up on tribal lands, and crime going down in tribal communities. That’s what change looks like.

So we should be proud of what we’ve done -- together.  But of course, that should sharpen our resolve to do even more.  Because as long as Native Americans face unemployment and poverty rates that are far higher than the national average, we’re going to have more work to do.  And I wake up every day focused on how to get this economy growing and create jobs for every American, faster.  We’re working to rebuild an economy where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like -– black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American –- you can make it if you try.

And that’s why I proposed the American Jobs Act -- to help all Americans, including First Americans, make it through these tough times.  It’s why my administration has addressed the obstacles that are unique to Indian country by guaranteeing loans for homeowners and small business owners and tribes.  It’s why we're working to equip your communities with high-speed Internet access.
And even as we meet at this moment, we have to prepare the next generation for the future -- which is why, earlier today, I signed an executive order to launch the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.  (Applause.)

Secretary Duncan -- who is here -- Secretary Salazar, they’re going to work together on this effort to prepare Native American youth to compete for the high-skilled, good jobs of tomorrow.  We’re going to find ways to reduce the dropout rate.  We’re going to help students who've already dropped out re-enter the education system.  And we’re going to strengthen our Tribal Colleges and Universities.  They are cornerstones of their community and they deserve our support.

So we've made progress together.  And a lot of that progress is possible because of all of you -- because the ideas that you’ve shared at the last two conferences, and that you’re sharing at this conference.  And that’s why I’m looking forward to hearing the results of the discussion that you have today.  I want to know what we can do to keep tackling the tough issues -- from education to jobs to health care to public safety.

It would be nice to say that the work was done, but we know the truth.  We haven’t solved all our problems.  We’ve got a long road ahead.  But I believe that one day, we’re going to be able to look back on these years and say that this was a turning point.  This was the moment when we began to build a strong middle class in Indian Country; the moment when businesses, large and small, began opening up in reservations; the moment when we stopped repeating the mistakes of the past, and began building a better future together, one that honors old traditions and welcomes every Native American into the American Dream.

We’ve got to finish what we started.  So today, I want to thank all of you for everything that you do.  I want to ask you to keep going.  And when you go back home, making your communities better places to live, I want you all to know that you’ve got a partner in Washington.  You have an administration that understands the challenges that you face and, most importantly, you’ve got a President who’s got your back.  (Applause.)  
So thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
2:30 P.M. EST

President Obama Announces $4 Billion Investment to Make Buildings More Energy Efficient

Megan Slack
Megan Slack
December 02, 2011
02:36 PM EDT
President Obama and President Clinton tour Transwestern Building

President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton take a tour of the upgrades of the Transwestern Building in Washington, Dec. 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

This morning, President Obama met with former President Bill Clinton to announce the next piece of the "We Can't Wait" campaign -- a $4 billion effort to improve energy efficiency in buildings across the country.

The two were joined by Tom Donohue -- the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- and Randi Weingarten -- the president of the American Federation of Teachers.

The group toured a building in northwest Washington that's currently seeing an efficiency upgrade. That improvement employs around 250 full-time workers and will save the building $200,000 a year on its energy bills.

Making our buildings more energy efficient is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways for us to create jobs, save money, and cut down on harmful pollution, President Obama said:

It is a trifecta, which is why you’ve got labor and business behind it.  It could save our businesses up to $40 billion a year on their energy bills – money better spent growing and hiring new workers.  It would boost manufacturing of energy-efficient materials.  And when millions of construction workers have found themselves out of work since the housing bubble burst, it will put them back to work doing the work that America needs done.  So this is an idea whose time has come.

As part of today’s announcement, President Obama directed all Federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next two months. Additionally, 60 private companies, hospitals, cities, states, colleges, and universities, among others, have collectively committed another $2 billion in energy efficiency retrofits to 1.6 billion square feet of property—roughly the equivalent of 500 Empire State Buildings.

The investments announced today are part of President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative, which set a goal of improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020. The initiative will reduce energy bills for businesses by $40 billion per year, and one report found it could create up to 114,000 jobs.

More information:

Related Topics: Economy, Energy and Environment

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Presidential Proclamation -- International Day of Persons with Disabilities

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we recommit to ensuring people living with disabilities enjoy full equality and unhindered participation in all facets of our national life. We recognize the myriad contributions that persons with disabilities make at home and abroad, and we remember that disability rights are universal rights to be recognized and promoted around the world.

For decades, America has been a global leader in advancing the rights of people with disabilities. From the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which I signed last year, we have striven to bring the American dream and comprehensive opportunities in education, health care, and employment within reach for every individual. These actions --made possible only through the tireless and ongoing efforts of the disability community -- affirm our commitment to an equitable and just society where every American can play a part in securing a prosperous future for our Nation.

To fulfill this promise not only in America, but around the world, my Administration is putting disability rights at the heart of our Nation's foreign policy. With leadership from the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development, we are collaborating across governments and in close consultation with the global disability community to expand access to education, health care, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and other development programs. In 2009, we signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which seeks to ensure persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights and opportunities as all people. If ratified, the Convention would provide a platform to encourage other countries to join and implement the Convention, laying a foundation for enhanced benefits and greater protections for the millions of Americans with disabilities who spend time abroad.

We know from the historic struggle for disability rights in the United States that disability inclusion is an ongoing effort, and many challenges remain in securing fundamental human rights for all persons with disabilities around the world. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we press forward, renewing our dedication to embrace diversity, end discrimination, remove barriers, and uphold the rights, dignity, and equal opportunity of all people.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 3, 2011, as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I call on all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Remarks by President Obama and Former President Clinton on We Can't Wait: Better Buildings Initiative

Transwestern Building
Washington, D.C.


11:28 A.M. EST

PRESIDENT CLINTON:  Well, I never got to open for The Rolling Stones, so I’ll try to do my best for the President.

Thank you all for being here, and I want to thank all the people involved in the tour that we just received for their commitment to energy efficiency and all the people they put to work.

Mr. President, I want to thank you and Secretary Chu and Gene Sperling and your whole team.  Tom Donohue and Randi Weingarten, thank you for joining together today for what you are doing. 

When the President asked me to work with his Jobs Council on improving energy efficiency in buildings, I think he did it because the Clinton Global Initiative and my own climate change project have been working on these kinds of things for several years now, and I believe as strongly as I can say that this is good business, creates jobs, makes us more energy independent and helps to fight climate change.  It’s the nearest thing we’ve got to a free lunch in a tough economy, because all of the savings can be paid back within a reasonable amount of time -- I mean, all the costs of the construction -- through lower utility bills.

So we’ve been working on that.  And the President has an announcement to make about that today.

I just want to say how grateful I am to Rich Trumka and the AFL-CIO and to Randi Weingarten for the work that labor has done in putting up some of the pension funds from California and some other funds they have to actually invest their own money gambling that they can get a reasonable return and putting people to work.  And I appreciate the support that Tom has given to this, because there are a lot of construction firms that are going to lose really skilled, gifted workers if they can’t find something to do, because there’s not a big demand for new buildings today and therefore the best opportunity to preserve and rebuild this sector is through greater energy efficiency.

I want to thank all the people who have been involved in this.  And Mr. President, I just want to say how grateful I am for the meeting we just attended.  The President’s Jobs Council and economic team put together a meeting that we were just present at -- there were nearly 50 people there.  And he’ll tell you what they said they would do.  But -- I hate to sound like a broken record -- we could create an almost unlimited number of jobs out of this, even in this lousy economy, even with all this embedded mortgage crisis, if we can work out the financing.

And I am grateful to be able to support this, to offer the continued effort of our climate change project and the Clinton Global Initiative to help the partners we have that are involved in this and anybody else that wants it.  But I’m especially grateful that the President didn’t let this fall through the cracks. 

You know that I haven’t been in that job for a long time, and I’m getting older, but I have some memory left.  And a thousand people ask you to do a thousand things.  And one of the tests of whether things work out or not, since you can’t do all thousand, is whether you can actually set up a process to do things and follow up.  And I am full of gratitude and praise, Mr. President, for you and your whole team, not just for your commitment to green energy, but for your commitment to energy efficiency, which gives you -- on buildings like this, averages 7,000 jobs for every billion dollars invested -- by far the greatest bang for the buck of any available investment I know.

So, thank you, Tom.  Thank you, Ricky -- Randi.  And Mr. President, thanks for giving me a chance to work on this.

Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, good morning, everybody.  I want to first of all thank Randi and Tom for their participation.  And I am thrilled that President Clinton has been willing to take this on.  As he pointed out, partly thanks to me, he’s home alone too often.  And this has been a passion for him for quite some time.  So I am very grateful for his involvement.

I thank everybody at Transwestern and all the folks who are participating here for giving us this remarkable tour.

There are the equivalent of 250 full-time workers as a consequence of the project that’s taking place here.  It is a win for the business owners; it is a win for the tenants of this building; it is a win for the construction workers who are participating and for the property manager that’s doing such a great job.  So this is a great example of what’s possible.  

As President, my most pressing challenge is doing everything I can every single day to get this economy growing faster and create more jobs.  This morning we learned that our economy added another 140,000 private sector jobs in November.  The unemployment rate went down.  And despite some strong headwinds this year, the American economy has now created in the private sector jobs for the past 21 months in a row; that’s nearly 3 million new jobs in all, and more than half a million over the last four months.

So we need to keep that growth going.  Right now, that means Congress needs to extend the payroll tax cut for working Americans for another year.  Congress needs to renew unemployment insurance for Americans who are still out there pounding the pavement and looking for work.  Failure to take either of these steps would be a significant blow to our economy.  It would take money out of the pocket of Americans who are most likely to spend it, and it would harm small businesses that depend on the spending.  It would be a bad idea.

I think it’s worth noting, by the way, I noticed that some folks on the other side have been quoting President Clinton about it’s a bad idea to raise taxes during tough economic times.  That’s precisely why I’ve sought to extend the payroll tax this year and next year.  It doesn’t mean that we lock in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans -- I don’t think President Clinton has been on board for that -- for perpetuity.  But just thought that might be worth mentioning.

That’s why it’s so disappointing last night, by the way, that Senate Republicans voted to block that payroll tax cut.  That effectively would raise taxes on nearly 160 million hardworking Americans because they didn’t want to ask a few hundred thousand of the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share and get the economy growing faster than everybody.  And I think that’s unacceptable. 

We’re going to keep pushing Congress to make this happen.  Now is not the time to slam the brakes on the recovery.  Right now, it’s time to step on the gas.  We need to get this done.  And I expect that it’s going to get done before Congress leaves.  Otherwise, Congress may not be leaving, and we can all spend Christmas here together. 

Now, our longer-term challenge is rebuilding an economy where hard work is valued and responsibility is rewarded, and the middle class and folks who are trying to get into the middle class regain some security -- an economy that’s built to compete with the rest of the world, and an economy that’s built to last.

And that’s why we are here today, in a place where, clearly, there is some building going on.  President Clinton, leaders of business, leaders of labor, we’re all here to announce some new steps that are going to create good jobs rebuilding America.

This building is in the middle of a retrofitting project to make it more energy efficient.  Already, this retrofit is saving this building $200,000 a year on its energy bills.  And as I mentioned earlier, by the time it’s finished, it will have created more than 250 full-time jobs in construction here in this building.  Consider President Clinton is coming down from the New York, the fact that the owners of the Empire State Building did the same thing; they are retrofitting that iconic landmark from top to bottom.  It’s a big investment, but it will pay for itself by saving them $4.4 million a year in energy costs.  And it’s estimated that all the retrofitting that they’re doing will pay for itself in about four and a half years.

Making our buildings more energy efficient is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways for us to create jobs, save money, and cut down on harmful pollution.  It is a trifecta, which is why you’ve got labor and business behind it.  It could save our businesses up to $40 billion a year on their energy bills -– money better spent growing and hiring new workers.  It would boost manufacturing of energy-efficient materials.  And when millions of construction workers have found themselves out of work since the housing bubble burst, it will put them back to work doing the work that America needs done.  So this is an idea whose time has come.

And that’s why, in February, I announced the Better Buildings Initiative.  It’s an ambitious plan to improve the energy efficiency of America’s commercial buildings 20 percent by the year 2020.  And I asked President Clinton and my Jobs Council to challenge the private sector, as part of the initiative, to step up, make these cost-saving investments, and prove that it works, so that other companies follow their lead.

Now, I believe that if you’re willing to put people to work making your buildings more efficient, America should provide you some incentives to do so.  That’s something that would require congressional action.  And we have asked Congress to work with us to move on providing more effective incentives for commercial building owners all across the country to move forward on these energy-efficient steps.  But we can’t wait for Congress to act.  And if they won’t act, I will.

Which is why, today, I’m directing all federal agencies -- all federal agencies -- to make at least $2 billion worth of energy-efficiency upgrades over the next two years.  None of these upgrades will require taxpayer money to get them going.  We’re going to use performance-based contracts that use savings on energy and utility bills to pay the contractors that do the work.  And it should keep construction workers pretty busy.  In fact, this is something that the Chamber of Commerce has said is critical to private sector job creation.

The private sector and community leaders are also stepping up to the plate alongside the federal government.  President Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative have been tremendous partners in rallying them to join this effort.  So in June, at CGI America, we announced initial commitments of $500 million to upgrade 300 million square feet of building space; some of these projects are already underway.

The good news is, today, we can announce that we’re going even bigger.  We’ve received larger commitments.  We now have 60 major companies, universities, labor unions, hospitals, cities and states, and they are stepping up with nearly $2 billion in financing to upgrade an additional 1.6 billion square feet of commercial industrial space by our target year of 2020.  That’s more than 500 Empire State Buildings.

I just had the chance, along with President Clinton, to meet with representatives of these 60 institutions that are involved and hear firsthand how they can put Americans back to work but also improve their bottom lines. 

So you’ve got companies like Best Buy and Walgreens that are going to upgrade store lighting, which is going to save them money.  You’ve got manufacturers like Alcoa that are going to make their manufacturing plants more efficient, dramatically reducing their operating costs which means they can compete more effectively all around the world. 

You’ve got property management companies that are upgrading their buildings to make their real estate portfolios more attractive to businesses, and one is already upgrading 40,000 units of military housing all across the country, which will give our military families lower utility bills and a higher quality of life.  And all of this will create jobs.

So over the past decade we’ve seen what happens if we don’t make investments like these.  We’ve seen what happens when we don’t come together for a common purpose -- wages flatline, incomes fall, employment stalls, and we lose our competitive edge.  But we’ve also seen what happens when we do what’s right.  When Bill Clinton was President we didn’t shortchange investment.  We didn’t say, we’re going to cut back on the things that we know are going to help us grow in the future.  We didn’t make decisions that put the burden on the middle class or the poor.  We lived within our means.  We invested in our future.  We asked everybody to pay their fair share.  And you know what happened?  The private sector thrived, jobs were created, the middle class grew -- its income grew -- millions rose out of poverty, we ran a surplus.  We were actually on track to be able to pay off all of our debt.  We were firing on all cylinders. 

We can be that nation again.  That’s our goal.  We will be that nation again.  But we’re going to have to fight for it.  So there’s work to be done.  There are workers, like these guys, who are ready to do it.  There are businesses that are ready to step up.  We’ve just got to get organized, get mobilized, and move.

And so I just want to thank everybody who’s participating here for stepping up to the plate and showing extraordinary leadership.  I am confident that this is going to be one important piece of the puzzle to get the economy moving again.

Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you, guys.

Q    President Clinton, any advice to your friend -- President Clinton, do you have any advice to President Obama about the economy?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Oh, he gives me advice all the time.  (Laughter.) 

PRESIDENT CLINTON:  I just want to -- I’ll say again, this announcement today -- the reason you should be encouraged by this, you can run the numbers and see how many jobs he announced.  But this meeting we just came from, as Dick Parsons said, represented trillions of dollars in potential investment.  And if the President, by doing this, can trigger pools of investment so that you have more buildings like this, keep in mind it can also change what goes on in every rural place and small town in America. 

Upstate New York, which is in trouble -- every little county has got one bonded contractor.  That bonded contractor can guarantee to every public school, every state, county, and local building, every little office building in Chappaqua, New York, where Hillary and I live, what the savings are going to be.  They’ve got software.  We have to have breakthroughs on financing.  That’s really the long-term potential significance of what the President announced today; and the fact that he did something that only a President can do -- he got all these people together, and then to have the AFL-CIO and the AFT and others sort of lead the way, and saying we will put our members’ pensions into this because we can get a good return, it’s a stable return, we’ll put our current members to work and other working people to work, and get a return on the pension.

This is a big deal.  That’s the significance to this.  This announcement the President made today is the jobs that you can multiply 7,000 times a billion, but it’s potentially, literally 50, 70, 80 times that because of who’s involved.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thanks, guys.

END
11:45 A.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

President Obama Hosts 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference

Signs Executive Order to Expand Educational Opportunities and Improve Educational Outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native Students

Today, President Obama is hosting the White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Department of the Interior.  As part of President Obama’s ongoing outreach to the American people, this conference provides leaders from the 565 federally recognized tribes the opportunity to interact directly with the President and representatives from his Administration.  This is the third White House Tribal Nations Conference the Obama Administration has hosted and continues to build upon the President’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian Country.

During the opening sessions, tribal leaders heard from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and OMB Deputy Director Heather Higginbottom.  Tribal leaders then participated in breakout sessions with Senior Administration Officials, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and SBA Administrator Karen Mills.  The session topics included: Creating Jobs and Growing Tribal Economies, Promoting Safe and Strong Tribal Communities, Protecting Natural Resources and Respect for Cultural Rights, Improving Access to Healthcare, Education, Housing, Infrastructure and Other Federal Services, and Strengthening the Government-to-Government Relationship.  During the closing session, tribal leaders will hear from Education Secretary Arne Duncan and President Obama will deliver closing remarks.

Earlier today, the President signed an Executive Order that establishes an Initiative that will help expand educational opportunities and improve educational outcomes for all American Indian and Alaska Native students, including opportunities to learn their Native languages, cultures, and histories and receive a complete and competitive education that prepares them for college and a career and productive and satisfying lives.  The Executive Order is available HERE.

The White House today also released a report, “Achieving a Brighter Future for Tribal Nations,” which provides a summary of some of the many actions the Obama Administration has taken to address the concerns of American Indians and Alaska Natives.  The report is available HERE.

On Thursday, eleven Native American Youth leaders were honored at the White House as Champions of Change. These young people are Champions in their tribes and communities as they work to improve the lives of those around them through innovative programs that help others, raise awareness of important issues like energy efficiency, healthy eating, and suicide and bullying prevention.  The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different issue is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists, are recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities.   More information about these Native American Youth leaders is available HERE.

Also this week, the Department of Interior announced a sweeping reform of federal surface leasing regulations for American Indian lands that will streamline the approval process for home ownership, expedite economic development and spur renewable energy development in Indian Country.  The proposed rule would modify regulations governing the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ process for approving the lease of surface acres on lands the federal government holds in trust for tribes and individuals. As trustee, Interior is responsible for managing approximately 56 million surface acres in Indian Country.  More information on this announcement is available HERE.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Executive Order 13592 -- Improving American Indian and Alaska Native Educational Opportunities and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities

EXECUTIVE ORDER

IMPROVING AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND STRENGTHENING TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1.  Policy.  The United States has a unique political and legal relationship with the federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes across the country, as set forth in the Constitution of the United States, treaties, Executive Orders, and court decisions.  For centuries, the Federal Government's relationship with these tribes has been guided by a trust responsibility    a long standing commitment on the part of our Government to protect the unique rights and ensure the well-being of our Nation's tribes, while respecting their tribal sovereignty.  In recognition of that special commitment    and in fulfillment of the solemn obligations it entails    Federal agencies must help improve educational opportunities provided to all AI/AN students, including students attending public schools in cities and in rural areas, students attending schools operated and funded by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and students attending postsecondary institutions including Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).  This is an urgent need.  Recent studies show that AI/AN students are dropping out of school at an alarming rate, that our Nation has made little or no progress in closing the achievement gap between AI/AN students and their non-AI/AN student counterparts, and that many Native languages are on the verge of extinction.

It is the policy of my Administration to support activities that will strengthen the Nation by expanding educational opportunities and improving educational outcomes for all AI/AN students in order to fulfill our commitment to furthering tribal self-determination and to help ensure that AI/AN students have an opportunity to learn their Native languages and histories and receive complete and competitive educations that prepare them for college, careers, and productive and satisfying lives.

My Administration is also committed to improving educational opportunities for students attending TCUs.  TCUs maintain, preserve, and restore Native languages and cultural traditions; offer a high quality college education; provide career and technical education, job training, and other career building programs; and often serve as anchors in some of the country's poorest and most remote areas.

Sec. 2.  Definitions.  (a)  "Agency" means any executive department or agency designated by the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Interior to participate in this order.

(b)  "Indian tribe" means an Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. 479a.

(c)  "American Indian and Alaska Native" means a member of an Indian tribe, as membership is defined by the tribe.

(d)  "Public school" means a Head Start center or a pre kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school that is predominantly funded by public means through the Federal Government, a State, a local educational agency, or an Indian tribal government, including a school operated directly by or through contract or grant with the BIE, an Indian tribe, or a State, county, or local government.

(e)  "Tribal Colleges and Universities" are those institutions that are chartered by their respective Indian tribes through the sovereign authority of the tribes or by the Federal Government, and defined in section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c).

Sec. 3.  White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

(a)  Establishment.  There is hereby established the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (Initiative).  The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Interior will co chair the Initiative.  The Secretary of Education shall appoint an Executive Director who shall be responsible for overseeing implementation of the Initiative.  This individual shall be a senior level, Department of Education official who shall serve as the Secretary of Education's senior policy advisor on Federal policies affecting AI/AN education.

The Executive Director shall work closely with the BIE Director and shall provide periodic reports to the Secretaries of Education and the Interior regarding progress achieved under the Initiative.  The Executive Director shall coordinate frequent consultations with tribal officials and shall provide staff support for the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE), authorized by section 7141 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7471).

(b)  Mission and Functions.  (1)  The Initiative shall help expand educational opportunities and improve educational outcomes for all AI/AN students, including opportunities to learn their Native languages, cultures, and histories and receive complete and competitive educations that prepare them for college, careers, and productive and satisfying lives, by:

(i)    working closely with the Executive Office of the President to help ensure AI/AN participation in the development and implementation of key Administration priorities;

(ii)   strengthening the relationship between the Department of Education, which has substantial expertise and resources to help improve Indian education, and the Department of the Interior and its BIE, which directly operates or provides grants to tribes to operate an extensive primary, secondary, and college level school system for AI/AN children and young adults;

(iii)  coordinating, in consultation with the Department of Education's Director of Indian Education, programs administered by the Department of Education and other executive branch agencies regarding AI/AN education;

(iv)   serving as a liaison with other executive branch agencies on AI/AN issues and advising those agencies on how they might help to promote AI/AN educational opportunities;

(v)    reporting on the development, implementation, and coordination of education policy and programs that affect AI/AN students;

(vi)   furthering tribal sovereignty by supporting efforts, consistent with applicable law, to build the capacity of tribal educational agencies and TCUs to provide high quality education services to AI/AN children;

(vii)   developing in partnership with tribal educational agencies a more routine and streamlined process for entering into agreements for educational studies conducted on tribal lands;

(viii)  developing sufficient data resources to inform progress on Federal performance indicators, in close collaboration with the Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics;

(ix)    encouraging and coordinating Federal partnerships with public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit entities to help increase the readiness of AI/AN students for school, college, and careers, and to help increase the number and percentage of AI/AN students completing college; and

(x)     developing a national network of individuals, organizations, and communities to share best practices in AI/AN education and encouraging them to implement these practices.

(2)  In order to help expand educational opportunities and improve education outcomes for AI/AN students, the Initiative shall promote, encourage, and undertake efforts, consistent with applicable law, to meet the following objectives:

(i)    increasing the number and percentage of AI/AN children who enter kindergarten ready for success through improved access to high quality early learning programs and services, including Native language immersion programs, that encourage the learning and development of AI/AN children from birth through age five;

(ii)   supporting the expanded implementation of education reform strategies that have shown evidence of success in enabling AI/AN students to acquire a rigorous and well-rounded education and increasing their access to the support services that prepare them for college, careers, and civic involvement;

(iii)  increasing the number and percentage of AI/AN students who have access to excellent teachers and school leaders, including effective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), language, and special education teachers, in part by supporting efforts to improve the recruitment, development, and retention of effective AI/AN teachers and other effective teachers and school leaders, particularly through TCUs;

(iv)   reducing the AI/AN student dropout rate and helping a greater number and percentage of those students who stay in high school to be ready for college and careers by the time of their graduation and college completion, in part by promoting a positive school climate and supporting successful and innovative dropout prevention and recovery strategies that better engage AI/AN youths in their learning and help them catch up academically;

(v)    providing pathways that enable those who have dropped out to reenter educational or training programs and acquire degrees, certificates, or industry recognized credentials and obtain quality jobs, and expanding access to high quality education programs leading to career advancement, especially in the STEM fields, by supporting adult, career, and technical education;

(vi)   increasing college access and completion for AI/AN students through strategies to strengthen the capacity of postsecondary institutions, particularly TCUs; and

(vii)  helping to ensure that the unique cultural, educational, and language needs of AI/AN students are met.

(3)  To facilitate a new partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior, to improve AI/AN education, the Executive Director shall work with the BIE Director and develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two Departments that will take advantage of both Departments' expertise, resources, and facilities.  The MOU shall be completed within 120 days of the date of this order.  Among other things, the MOU shall address how the Departments will collaborate in carrying out the policy set out in section 1 of this order.

(c)  Funding and Administrative Support.  Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Department of Education shall fund the Initiative, including NACIE.  The Department shall also provide administrative support for the Initiative to the extent permitted by law and within existing appropriations.

(d)  Interagency Working Group.  There is established the Interagency Working Group on AI/AN education and TCUs, which shall be convened by the Initiative's Executive Director.  The Working Group shall consist of senior officials from the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior and officials from the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Domestic Policy Council, as well as such additional agencies and offices as the Secretaries of Education and the Interior may designate.  Senior officials shall be designated by the heads of their respective agencies and offices.  The Secretaries of Education and the Interior shall serve as the co chairs of the Interagency Working Group.

(e)  Federal Agency Plans.  (1)  Each agency designated by the co chairs as a member of the Interagency Working Group shall develop and implement a two part, 4 year plan of the agency's efforts to fulfill the purposes of this order, with part one of the plan focusing on all AI/AN students except for those attending TCUs, and part two focusing on AI/AN students attending TCUs.  Each agency plan shall include:

(i)    annual performance indicators and appropriate measurable objectives with which the agency will measure its success in meeting the goals of this order;

(ii)   information on how the agency intends to increase the capacity of educational agencies and institutions, including our Nation's public schools and TCUs, to deliver high-quality education and related social services to all AI/AN students; and

(iii)  agency efforts to enhance the ability of these educational agencies and institutions serving AI/AN students to compete effectively for grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other Federal resources with which to serve the education needs of AI/AN students, and to encourage eligible schools and colleges serving those students to apply for Federal grants and participate in Federal education programs, as appropriate.  Agency plans may also emphasize access to high quality educational opportunities for AI/AN students, consistent with requirements of the ESEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other applicable Federal education statutes; the preservation and revitalization of tribal languages and cultural traditions; and innovative approaches to more seamlessly align early learning, elementary, and secondary education programs with the work of TCUs.

(2)  Submission.  Each agency shall submit its plan to the Initiative by a deadline established by the co chairs.  In consultation with NACIE, the Initiative shall then review agency plans and develop, for submission to the President, a synthesized interagency plan to achieve the aims of this order.

(3)  Annual Performance Reports.  Each agency shall submit to the Initiative an Annual Performance Report that measures the agency's performance against the objectives set forth in its plan.  In consultation with NACIE, the Initiative shall review and combine Annual Performance Reports from the various agencies into one annual report, which shall be submitted to the Secretaries of Education and the Interior for review.

(f)  Private Sector.  In consultation with NACIE, and consistent with applicable law, the Interagency Working Group, led by the Executive Director, shall encourage the private sector to assist State- and locally-operated public schools that serve large numbers of AI/AN students, including those attending our Nation's public schools, publicly funded preschools, and TCUs, through increased use of such strategies as:

(1)  Providing funds to support the preservation and revitalization of Native languages and cultures;

(2)  Providing funds to support increased institutional endowments;

(3)  Helping these schools develop expertise in financial and facilities management, information systems, and curricula; and

(4)  Providing resources for the hiring and training of effective teachers and administrators.

Sec. 4.  Study.  In carrying out this order, the Secretaries of Education and the Interior shall study and collect information on the education of AI/AN students.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  NACIE shall serve as the Initiative's advisory committee.

(b)  Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), may apply to the Initiative, any functions of the President under that Act, except for those of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.

(c)  This order revokes Executive Order 13270 of July 3, 2002, Executive Order 13336 of April 30, 2004, and section 1(n) of Executive Order 13585 of September 30, 2011.

(d)  The heads of agencies shall assist and provide such information to the Initiative as may be necessary to carry out its functions, consistent with applicable law.

(e)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(1)  authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(2)  functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(f)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE
December 2, 2011.

The Obama Family Starts New Tradition at National Tree Lighting Ceremony

Colleen Curtis
Colleen Curtis
December 02, 2011
11:18 AM EDT

Last night President Obama was joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Malia and Sasha and  "Grandmother in Chief" Marian Robinson to light a brand new National Christmas Tree in the President's Park outside the White House. This year's tree replaces one that was part of the national tradition for 30 years , until it was lost in a storm earlier this year. 

In his remarks, the President wished Americans "the merriest of Christmases" and reminded everyone to keep the central message of the holiday season in their hearts:

In this season of hope, let’s help those who need it most –- the homeless, the hungry, the sick and shut in. In this season of plenty, let’s reach out to those who struggle to find work or provide for their families. In this season of generosity, let’s give thanks and honor to our troops and our veterans, and their families who've sacrificed so much for us. And let’s welcome all those who are happily coming home. 

And this holiday season, let us reaffirm our commitment to each other, as family members, as neighbors, as Americans, regardless of our color or creed or faith.  Let us remember that we are one, and we are a family.

Continuing another tradition, the First Lady read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the crowd before the lighting ceremony began, and this year she was joined by Kermit the Frog.

View photos from the event and watch the President's remarks and the First Lady's reading below.

Watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony here.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Presidential Memorandum -- Implementation of Energy Savings Projects and Performance-Based Contracting for Energy Savings

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Implementation of Energy Savings Projects and Performance-Based Contracting for Energy Savings

The Federal Government owns and operates nearly 3 billion square feet of Federal building space. Upgrading the energy performance of buildings is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reduce energy costs, cut pollution, and create jobs in the construction and energy sectors. We have a responsibility to lead by example, reduce our energy use, and operate our buildings efficiently.

Meeting that responsibility requires executive departments and agencies (agencies) to evaluate their facilities, identify potential savings, and appropriately leverage both private and public sector funding to invest in comprehensive energy conservation projects that cut energy costs. The Federal Government can do so by increasing the pace of the implementation of energy conservation measures, and improving the results from its energy efficiency investments.

In Executive Order 13514 of October 5, 2009 (Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance), my Administration reaffirmed a commitment to reduce energy intensity in agency buildings. In addition, through my memorandum of June 10, 2010 (Disposing of Unneeded Federal Real Estate – Increasing Sales Proceeds, Cutting Operating Costs, and Improving Energy Efficiency), and through the Campaign to Cut Waste, my Administration has directed agencies to cut energy costs in agency facilities as part of a broader effort to reduce spending and shrink the Federal Government's real estate footprint. In order to ensure agencies fully meet these goals and maximize the cost reduction and job creation potential of making Federal buildings more energy efficient, I hereby direct the following:

Section 1. Implement and Prioritize Energy Conservation Measures. (a) Agencies shall fully implement energy conservation measures (ECMs) in Federal buildings with a payback time of less than 10 years, consistent with real property and capital improvement plans. Agencies shall prioritize ECMs with the greatest return on investment, leveraging both direct appropriations and performance contracting, consistent with guidance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

(b) The Federal Government shall enter into a minimum of $2 billion in performance-based contracts in Federal building energy efficiency within 24 months from the date of this memorandum. Each agency shall include its anticipated total performance-based contract volume in its plan submitted pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.

(c) In order to maximize efficiency and return on investment to the American taxpayer, agencies are encouraged to enter into installation-wide and portfolio-wide performance contracts and undertake comprehensive projects that include short-term and long-term ECMs, consistent with Government-wide small business contracting policies.

(d) Agencies shall prioritize new projects under this section based on return on investment, develop a planned implementation schedule, and reconcile all investments with actions undertaken pursuant to Executive Order 13576 of June 13, 2011 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government). Agencies shall ensure that any performance-based contracts are consistent with, and do not duplicate or conflict with, real property plans or planned capital improvements.

(e) No later than January 31, 2012, agencies shall report their planned implementation schedule described in subsection (d) of this section to the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), OMB, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

(f) Beginning in 2012, agencies shall incorporate the planned implementation schedule into their annual Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans in furtherance of Executive Order 13514.

Sec. 2. Complete Required Energy and Water Evaluations. (a) Agencies shall identify in the Department of Energy's Compliance Tracking System (CTS) any ECMs that have been implemented, and ensure that the CTS is regularly updated.

(b) Consistent with section 432 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 8253(f)(2)), agencies shall complete all energy and water evaluations and report the ECMs and associated cost saving opportunities identified through these evaluations to the CTS.

Sec. 3. Transparency and Accountability. (a) Agencies shall, where technically feasible, continue efforts to connect meters and advanced metering devices to enterprise energy management systems to streamline and optimize measurement, management, and reporting of facility energy use.

(b) The FEMP shall assist agencies with timely implementation of subsection (a) of this section. Consistent with its mission and responsibilities, FEMP shall also track Government-wide implementation progress. Subject to the protection of critical infrastructure information and avoidance of disclosure of sensitive information relating to national security, FEMP shall annually publish these results, as well as facility energy usage data, in machine readable formats on agency websites, consistent with applicable OMB guidance.

(c) The OMB shall continue to track agency implementation and progress towards goal achievement on its Energy and Sustainability Scorecard, and publicly report on agency progress, pursuant to the requirements of Executive Order 13514.

Sec. 4. Applicability. This memorandum shall apply to agency activities, personnel, resources, and facilities located within the United States. The head of an agency may apply this memorandum to activities, personnel, resources, and facilities of the agency that are not located within the United States, to

the extent the head of the agency determines that doing so is in the interest of the United States.

Sec. 5. Exemption Authority. (a) The Director of National Intelligence may exempt an intelligence activity of the United States, and related personnel, resources, and facilities, from the provisions of this memorandum, to the extent the Director determines necessary to protect intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure.

(b) The head of an agency may exempt particular facilities from the provisions of this memorandum where doing so is in the interest of national security. If the head of an agency issues an exemption under this subsection, the agency must notify the Chair of CEQ in writing within 30 days of issuance of the exemption. To the maximum extent practicable, and without compromising national security, each agency shall strive to comply with the purposes, goals, and implementation steps in this memorandum.

Sec. 6. Definitions. For the purposes of this memorandum:

(a) "energy conservation measure" (ECM) has the same meaning as in 42 U.S.C. 8259(d).

(b) "energy savings performance contract" (ESPC), as authorized by 42 U.S.C. 8287, means a contract (or task order) awarded to an energy service company (ESCO) for up to 25 years that provides for the design, acquisition, financing, installation, testing, operation, and maintenance and repair of identified ECMs at one or more locations. Under an ESPC, the ESCO incurs the costs of project implementation, including audits, acquiring and installing equipment, and training personnel, in exchange for a predetermined price. Payment to the ESCO is contingent upon realizing a guaranteed stream of future savings, with excess savings accruing to the Federal Government.

(c) "performance-based contract" means a contract that identifies expected deliverables, performance measures, or outcomes, and makes payment contingent on their successful achievement. Performance-based contracts also use appropriate techniques, which may include consequences or incentives to ensure that the agreed-upon value to the agency is received. Performance-based contracts, which include ESPCs, can be performed by any qualified contractor, including utilities.

(d) "agency" has the same meaning as in Executive Order 13514.

(e) "United States" means the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and associated territorial waters and airspace.

Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law, including international trade obligations, and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(b) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) authority granted by law to a department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

West Wing Week: 12/2/11 or "Bo Meets Bo."

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
December 02, 2011
12:00 AM EDT

This week, as the President urged Republicans to join a Democratic effort to prevent a thousand dollar tax increase on the typical American family, the White House got spruced up for the holidays. The President also hosted the EU Summit, the Dutch Prime Minister, and announced a new commitment to fighting AIDS in America and around the world. He also lit the National Christmas Tree. That's November 25th to December 1st, or "Bo Meets Bo."

Watch West Wing Week here.

 

Related Topics: Economy, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Taxes, Pennsylvania

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

We Can't Wait: President Obama Announces Nearly $4 Billion Investment in Energy Upgrades to Public and Private Buildings

Upgrades Will Create Tens of Thousands of Jobs and Save Billions

WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama today announced nearly $4 billion in combined federal and private sector energy upgrades to buildings over the next 2 years. These investments will save billions in energy costs, promote energy independence, and, according to independent estimates, create tens of thousands of jobs in the hard-hit construction sector. The $4 billion investment announced today includes a $2 billion commitment, made through the issuance of a Presidential Memorandum, to energy upgrades of federal buildings using long term energy savings to pay for up-front costs, at no cost to taxpayers. In addition, 60 CEOs, mayors, university presidents, and labor leaders today committed to invest nearly $2 billion of private capital into energy efficiency projects; and to upgrade energy performance by a minimum of 20% by 2020 in 1.6 billion square feet of office, industrial, municipal, hospital, university, community college and school buildings. This announcement builds on a commitment made by 14 partners at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in June to make energy upgrades across 300 million square feet, and to invest $500 million in private sector financing in energy efficiency projects.
 
Today’s commitments were announced by President Obama and former President Clinton along with representatives from more than 60 organizations as part of the Better Buildings Challenge. The Challenge is part of the Better Buildings Initiative launched in February by President Obama, and is spearheaded by former President Clinton and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to support job creation by catalyzing private sector investment in commercial and industrial building energy upgrades to make America’s buildings 20 percent more efficient over the next decade, reducing energy costs for American businesses by nearly $40 billion. Last year, commercial buildings consumed roughly 20 percent of all the energy used by the U.S. economy.
 
“Upgrading the energy efficiency of America’s buildings is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to save money, cut down on harmful pollution, and create good jobs right now.  But we can’t wait for Congress to act.  So today, I’m directing all federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next 2 years – at no up-front cost to the taxpayer.  Coupled with today’s extraordinary private sector commitments of $2 billion to upgrade businesses, factories, and military housing, America is taking another big step towards the competitive, clean energy economy it will take to win the future,” said President Obama.

“Investments in building retrofits and energy efficiency can make a real difference in the American economy, by creating jobs, growing our industries, improving businesses’ bottom lines, reducing our energy bills and consumption, and preserving our planet for future generations. I am proud the Clinton Foundation has been able to help develop and grow President Obama’s Better Buildings Challenge, and that so many members of the Clinton Global Initiative have joined this Challenge. Working together, I am pleased the commitments to the BBC have grown from the initial $500 million and 300 million square feet that we announced in June at CGI America, to the $2 billion investment with over 1 billion square feet of retrofitted space that we are announcing today,” said President Clinton.

"The Better Buildings initiative has all the components to make a real difference-it will create profitable investment opportunities for worker pension funds, create badly needed good jobs, increase America's competitiveness around energy savings, and address the dangers of climate change," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
 
In a move the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has recognized as critical to job creation, today’s Presidential Memorandum calls for fully implementing existing federal authority to utilize Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs)in order to promote energy efficiency and create new jobs. Under the ESPC program, new energy efficient equipment is installed at Federal facilities at no up-front cost to the government. The cost of the improvements is paid for over time with energy costs saved on utility bills, and the private sector contractors guarantee the energy savings.
 
Better Buildings commitments announced today include:

3M

3M is a diversified technology company serving customers and communities with innovative products and services operating in more than 65 countries. To date, 3M has cut absolute worldwide GHG emissions 72% from 1990-2010. With 78 plants committed to the Challenge, 3M aims to reduce energy use an additional 25% by 2015 in 37 million square feet of building space. Through the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge, 3M will maintain a focus on transparency around a capital set aside for energy efficiency projects, and highlight an innovative recognition program that rewards top performing plants.

AFL-CIO

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its affiliated labor unions are engaged in a major effort to find ways for skilled labor, Taft-Hartley and public employee retirement funds to be appropriately engaged in energy-saving building retrofits and infrastructure improvements across America. In addition to making investment managers aware of the many compelling investment opportunities in building retrofits and infrastructure, the AFL-CIO will undertake an energy-efficiency retrofit of its own headquarters to serve as a signature component of the Better Buildings Challenge.  The AFL-CIO will work with existing real estate-focused investment funds to invest $150 million of capital in energy efficient retrofits of commercial, multifamily, institutional and public buildings.

Alcoa

Alcoa has made a commitment of improving energy efficiency by 25% across 30 million square feet of industrial plant space by the year 2020. Alcoa's portfolio for the Challenge consists of 30 plants, which currently consume 42 trillion BTUs of energy. Alcoa will be showcasing a $21M investment in an expansion of its Barberton, Ohio facility.  This project involves a new 35,000 square foot building to advance the company’s recycling and casting process by producing new wheels from re-melted and scrap aluminum. This will be the first of its kind in North America and is expected to create 30 full-time jobs and help protect more than 350 current positions.

Allegheny College

Allegheny College -- a national liberal arts college where 2,100 students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel -- will celebrate its bicentennial in 2015. A leader in sustainability, the college has committed to achieving climate neutrality by the year 2020. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Allegheny College will reduce energy consumption 20% by 2020 in 1.3 million square feet of building space across their campus. Carr Hall, currently under renovation, will house the Richard J. Cook Center for Environmental Science and be showcased under the Better Buildings Challenge program. The renovation includes high-efficiency HVAC systems, daylighting and efficient lighting solutions, as well as glazing, shading, and a vestibule to increase the lobby's energy efficiency.

Ascension Health

Ascension Health is the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system with 68 acute care facilities across 20 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension Health focuses on serving all persons with special attention given to the underserved and last year, provided $1.2 billion in care to persons living in poverty and community benefit programs.  Ascension Health’s Environmental Stewardship Program is committed to create social, financial and environmental benefits for patients, visitors, associates and the local communities served. As a Better Building Challenge Partner, Ascension Health has committed to a 20% reduction in energy use by 2020 across 30 million square feet of acute care hospitals and related facilities.

Blue Hill Partners LLC

Blue Hill Partners is a green sector investment firm which provides capital, management support and strategic guidance, and employs investment capital to create and fund optimized service solutions for improving the built environment. Blue Hill Partners has teamed with the Pennsylvania Treasury Department to lead the investment of over $45 million in energy efficiency and sustainability projects at Pennsylvania colleges and universities through the Campus Energy Efficiency Fund. As a Better Buildings Challenge Ally, Blue Hill Partners commits to achieving over $50 million of energy efficiency investments.

Briggs and Stratton

Briggs & Stratton Corporation is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment. Briggs & Stratton Products Group is North America’s number one manufacturer of portable generators and pressure washers, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lawn and garden and turf care. Its brands include Brute, Snapper, Simplicity, Ferris and Murray. Briggs & Stratton has a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship and has set a goal to improve energy intensity by 25 percent by 2018 across eight manufacturing plants and a total of 5.8 million square feet of facility space.

CBRE

CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2010 revenue).  CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting.  Through its partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge, CBRE has established an energy efficiency commitment of achieving on average a 20% energy reduction target by 2020 across an initial portfolio totaling 25 million square feet of buildings nationwide. The reduction strategies will include multiple efforts such as providing resource and training support to CBRE management staff, implementing no cost and low cost opportunities to increase operational efficiencies and improve facility energy performance as well as encourage capital funding from our clients to perform equipment and retrofit upgrades as applicable to further drive efficiencies.

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. About 2,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2010, there were 4 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 155,000 hospital admissions. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, the Cleveland Clinic is targeting 24 million square feet of building space over 204 different buildings with a 20% energy reduction commitment by 2020. As a leader in energy efficiency, their participation in the Better Buildings Challenge and examples of success they will share will set the example for the healthcare industry.

Cummins Inc.

Cummins Inc., designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Cummins serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 500 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 5,200 dealer locations. Cummins places a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and uses its technological advantage to build the cleanest, most efficient diesel engines and power generation systems in the world. The company is taking a number of steps to achieve its target of improving energy intensity by 25 percent over ten years, including setting up a dedicated energy efficiency capital fund, pursuing ISO 50001 certification at select plants, and appointing energy champions to help lead its energy efficiency efforts.

Delaware State University

Delaware State University (DSU) serves a diverse student population with a broad range of programs, and as a Better Buildings Challenge Partner has set a goal to reduce energy consumption in almost 2 million square feet of building space 25% by 2015. DSU will implement measures to increase energy efficiency and upgrade important facility systems using an innovative option for financing capital improvements with energy savings. DSU maintains a historic plot of Delaware land that is now a picturesque 400-acre campus.

Denver, CO

The City and County of Denver has made energy efficiency a core tenant of the Greenprint Denver sustainability initiative. Through its partnership with the Better Buildings Challenge, the City has committed to reducing energy use by 20 percent by 2020 across its building portfolio, which totals more than 6 million square feet. Mayor Michael B. Hancock plans to use the City's leadership to challenge private building owners, the non-profit sector, and schools to pledge similar energy reduction goals. Denver will undertake a number of energy savings projects within its own buildings, educate external partners through outreach programs, and showcase significant projects throughout the community, including a deep retrofit of the Alliance Center and the Living City Block program.

The District of Columbia

Through its partnership with the Better Buildings Challenge, the District of Columbia is committing to a multi-pronged action plan to reduce energy consumption in over 90 million square feet of city and privately held buildings in the downtown core by at least 20 percent by 2020.  The District has set forth an energy efficiency and renewable energy agenda and has invested in long-term incentive programs that will support a public-private collaboration and ensure that Washington is a national leader in the energy efficiency economy.  The District has made a series of commitments on its own 300+ buildings that will demonstrate leadership from the top, among them completing energy audits, implementing a showcase retrofit and investing at least $4 million in the next five years on energy efficiency measures.  The District has long-term commitment to energy efficiency programs and policies that support the Better Buildings Challenge, including a benchmarking and disclosure regulation for over 3,000 private commercial buildings, making the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) a one-stop shop for the District’s energy efficiency solutions and resources and the creation of energy efficiency financing tools targeted at commercial building owners.  These financing tools and products will provide at least $225 million in competitively-priced capital to commercial owners over the next nine years to fund energy efficiency improvements.  The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (“BID”) and the DowntownDC ecoDistrict have accepted the Better Buildings Challenge in partnership with the District of Columbia and Mayor Vincent Gray.

Douglas County School District, NV

The Douglas County School District (DCSD) serves the communities of Gardnerville, Minden, Genoa and Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe, nestled among the 751 square miles of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Carson Valley.  DCSD is the 6th largest in the state of Nevada, and provides a high quality education to over 6,200 students.  Douglas County School District is committing to a 20% energy reduction by 2020, and will retrofit approximately 944,000 square feet across eleven (11) schools and multiple support facilities.   DCSD has recently completed an energy savings performance contract targeting facility upgrades and infrastructure repairs in all eleven (11) of its schools and as additional improvements are made through bond initiatives, energy efficiency standards are implemented to continue reaping the benefits of energy savings.  DCDS will be highlighting their energy efficiency upgrades at the Gardnerville Elementary School which is currently under renovation.

Energi, Inc

Energi Inc. is a Massachusetts based Industrial Reinsurance Company that provides innovative risk management and insurance programs to segments of the energy industry.  As a way to enable market activity, Energi and Hannover Re jointly developed "Energy Savings Warranty," a program that insures the energy savings guarantees made by energy efficiency contractors or ESCOs. As a Better Buildings Challenge Financial Ally, Energi has committed to insure a minimum of $50 million in retrofit projects.

Forest City Enterprises

Forest City Enterprises is a national real estate company engaged in the ownership, development, management, and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land.  With more than $10billion in total assets, Forest City Enterprise’s diverse portfolio includes retail, office, conventional housing and federally assisted housing buildings. The company is a leader in mixed-used communities, adaptive reuse projects, and sustainable properties. Forest City Enterprises defines sustainability as one of its core values, and as a Better Buildings Challenge partner is committed to reducing energy consumption 20% by 2020 across 14 million square feet.

GE

GE works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. In 2010, GE achieved a 33 percent improvement in its own energy intensity, a 24% reduction in its GHG emissions (both from a 2004 baseline) and 22% improvement in its water re-use (from a 2006 baseline). In 2010, GE set new, more aggressive targets for 2015:  A 50 percent energy intensity improvement, 25% GHG emissions reduction, and a 25% water reduction, from the same baselines across more than 105 million square feet.

GE Capital Americas  (GECA) will shape a credit strike zone and profitability model for commercial building energy efficiency projects that will lead to financeable opportunities of $50MM+.  GECA will use its best efforts to create financial products to meet market needs through all steps of the supply chain from manufacturers, to dealers to end users.  GECA foresees the ability to help financing energy-saving technologies in areas such as lighting and HVAC across multiple markets – including office, retail and manufacturing.

HEI Hotels & Resorts

HEI Hotels & Resorts located in Norwalk, CT is a hospitality owner and operator of over 40 well-known upscale and luxury hotels including well-known brands  Marriott, Renaissance, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, “W”, Hilton, Embassy Suites and Crowne Plaza totaling nearly 10 million square feet throughout the United States and representing approximately $2.5 billion total investment. HEI is a leader in energy efficiency having reduced their portfolio wide consumption between 5% & 7% annually the past few years and currently, HEI is working towards company-wide 2011 targets for energy savings and waste reduction of 3.5% and 10% respectively. As part of their participation in the Better Buildings Challenge, HEI has committed to reducing the energy use in their ever growing 10 million square feet of building space 20% by 2020.

Houston Independent School District, TX

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school District in the state of Texas. The District provides a quality K-12 education to over 200,000 students in the City of Houston. The District is implementing a large scale, comprehensive energy efficiency project that will include behavioral initiatives, retro-commissioning, capital asset upgrades and water conservation measures. The District is committing to a 30% energy reduction by 2015 and will retrofit approximately 24 million square feet.  Not only will this project decrease energy consumption, it will significantly improve learning by creating a more comfortable and conducive learning environment.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)

IHG is an international hotel company managing seven highly recognized hotel brands including Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites with more than 4,500 hotels in 100 countries.  IHG’s currently has a company-wide benchmarking initiative that aims to realize energy savings ranging from 6% to 10% in owned and managed properties by 2012. IHG is participating in the Better Buildings Challenge by committing 24 million square feet of hotels.

Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate services and investment management, and operating in 1,000 locations in 70 countries. As a Better Buildings Challenge partner, Jones Lang LaSalle is committing to develop implementable programs to improve energy efficiency at large properties totaling 98 million square feet across its U.S. managed portfolio, in order to achieve a 20% energy reduction by 2020. Through this partnership, Jones Lang LaSalle will highlight its innovative strategies to identify energy savings and determine costs to develop a “shovel ready” set of projects backed by a solid business case for investment.

Kentucky Community and Technical College System

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), founded in 1998, is a system of 16 comprehensive community and technical colleges operating on 68 campuses. KCTCS is the largest provider of postsecondary and workforce training in Kentucky, enrolling more than 51 percent of Kentucky’s postsecondary public headcount enrollment and offering more than 600 program offerings. As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, KCTCS is committing to reduce 20% of energy use by 2020 across 7 million gross square feet, comprising approximately 600 buildings.  KCTCS will showcase an integration of building automation systems, utility meter interval data, utility bill data, and regression analysis software that will allow KCTCS to perform a software continuous commissioning process.

Kohl’s Department Stores

As a national retail company, Kohl’s knows that its biggest impact on the environment comes from the energy use of its more than 1,000 stores and has made managing energy use a key strategy for driving savings and conserving resources.  Kohl’s manages energy-related initiatives in energy management, ENERGY STAR certification and renewable energy, including solar.  By joining the Better Buildings Challenge, Kohl’s commits to reduce its use of energy in more than 112 million square feet of occupied building space by at least 20 percent by 2020.

Legrand

Legrand is a leading provider of products and systems for electrical installations and information networks for the built environment with 170,000 products divided into 95 categories worldwide. Legrand has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability through its corporate-wide adoption of ISO 14001 and by becoming an industry leader in energy-efficient plant and building operations. As a partner with the Better Buildings Challenge, Legrand has committed to reducing energy intensity by 25% across 14 sites encompassing 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and office space by 2021. Legrand will showcase energy management improvements achieved through the Challenge at its West Hartford, CT site.

Michigan State University

One of the top research universities in the world and a member of the Association of American Universities, Michigan State University offers nationally ranked and recognized academic, undergraduate research, residential college, and service-learning programs. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, MSU has committed to improving the energy efficiency of about 20 million square feet of building space, targeting an energy reduction goal of more than 20 percent by the year 2020. These efforts will occur on a campus that that encompasses 5,200 acres and a built environment of teaching, research, and support space. Currently, the university is engaged in developing a set of building profiles across 110 buildings that approximates 80 percent of the square footage in its building portfolio. These profiles will enable the university to identify facilities that will benefit most from the implementation of retrocommissioning that will facilitate reductions in energy consumption.

Nissan North America Inc

Nissan North America’s environmental strategy encompasses eco-innovative technologies and energy management. As part of the Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge, Nissan has committed to reducing energy usage in its three U.S. plants 25% by 2020, affecting 12 million square feet of plant space. This effort is part of Nissan’s global environmental action plan, the Nissan Green Program 2016, which includes a wider application of fuel-efficient vehicles and corporate carbon footprint minimization. In Smyrna, Tenn., Nissan is currently making a $200 million investment in a new paint plant that will improve energy efficiency by 30% compared to the plant it is replacing.

The PNC Financial Services Group

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations, with more than $269 billion in assets (as of September 30, 2011). PNC provides consumer and small business banking primarily in 15 states and the District of Columbia, with residential mortgage banking and corporate and institutional banking offices across the continental United States. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, PNC is working towards a 30% energy reduction goal in 26 million square feet by 2020. As a leader in energy efficiency, PNC’s participation in the Better Buildings Challenge and their examples of success will provide a great model for other organizations with a large number of locations.

Poudre School District, CO

Poudre School District, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, serves approximately 25,000 students and includes 50 schools. PSD is the 9th largest school district in Colorado and covers 1,856 square miles in northern Colorado. Poudre School District is committing to a 20% energy reduction goal by 2020 and will be working across 50 schools totaling 4 million square feet, to improve energy efficiency under the Challenge, and will be highlighting their deep retrofit work at the Poudre High School.

Prologis

Prologis is the leading global provider of industrial real estate, with approximately 600 million square feet of distribution space in markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia totaling $42 billion in total assets under management. Prologis leases its operating portfolio of 3,300 industrial facilities in 22 countries to manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. Prologis engages with colleagues around the world to reduce their environmental footprint in areas such as energy, waste, procurement and water. As a partner of the Better Buildings Challenge, Prologis has made it a key priority to work with our customers to reduce energy consumption in 100 million square feet by 20% by 2020.

RREEF Real Estate

As the global real estate investment business of Deutsche Bank's asset management division, RREEF Real Estate has over $58.5 billion dollars in assets under management around the world as of September 30, 2011. As a partner of the Better Buildings Challenge, RREEF Real Estate is committing to reducing the energy consumption across a portfolio of at least 5 million square feet of US commercial office buildings by 20 percent by 2020.

Sacramento, CA

As the capital of California, Sacramento’s vision is to transform itself into the greenest region in the country and become a hub for clean technology through strengthening the regional economy, creating green jobs, adopting innovative policies and raising the region’s Green IQ.  As a Better Buildings Challenge Community Partner, the city, through its Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, has committed to reducing energy use 20% by 2020 in over 12 million square feet of building space through energy efficiency improvements.  The PACE program will tap private investment to stimulate retrofitting of commercial buildings throughout Sacramento.   In parallel, the City of Sacramento is establishing programs in support of the region’s “Greenwise Action Plan” and is creating a suite of services for the commercial sector.

Saint-Gobain Corporation

Saint-Gobain is the world’s largest building materials company, employing 19,000 people in North America at 140 manufacturing facilities that work to make homes more comfortable, cost-efficient, and sustainable. As a Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge Partner, Saint-Gobain has pledged to increase efficiency across its 114 U.S. plants, targeting a 25% reduction in energy consumption by 2019 over 20 million square feet of building space. At a Massachusetts site, Saint-Gobain committed to a large compressed air retrofit project plant that is expected to deliver savings of 15% in the compressed air system.
 

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management helping its residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure and data center customers improve their efficiency and reduce their energy consumption with products, services and solutions. As a Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge Partner, Schneider Electric has committed to reducing the energy use of 9 million square feet of building space, covering 40 different plants, by 25%. The company’s showcase project includes pursuing Superior Energy Performance certification at a Smyrna, TN plant site that includes a recently installed 1,000 kilowatt dual voltage solar farm.

Serious Energy, Inc.

Serious Energy, Inc. increases the value of buildings with a platform of products and services that combine real-time building analytics and material science innovations.  Since 2002, Serious Energy’ s solutions have helped make 70,000 buildings—including the Empire State Building and the New York Stock Exchange-- more valuable, comfortable, and efficient. Our customers have achieved extraordinary reductions in energy use and drastically improved indoor environments through measures such as super-insulating windows that have directly avoided investments in new heaters, chillers, and other systems.  Serious Capital, a division of Serious Energy, brings together proven technology and financing to guarantee savings and better building performance in a way that requires no upfront payment. As Financial Allies of the Better Buildings Challenge, they have committed to executing $100 million worth of energy efficiency upgrades with their clients.

Shorenstein Properties LLC

Shorenstein Properties, LLC, one of the oldest and most successful private real estate investment companies active throughout the United States in the acquisition, development, ownership and management of office and mixed-use properties. For the past 2 years, thru energy efficiency strategies identified and implemented to date, Shorenstein has been able to achieve a 5% reduction in energy consumption as well as a cost savings of $1.7 million to date.  Shorenstein is now coordinating a national tenant tour, the Flip the Switch Campaign, to educate its tenants about the importance of energy conservation and to provide them with actions they can take to be more energy-efficient. Shorenstein will continue its commitment to energy efficiency by targeting a 20% consumption by 2020 over a baseline of 2008 in over 12 million square feet, as part of its commitment to the Better Buildings Challenge.

State of Iowa, Department of Administrative Services

The Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is committed to identifying and implementing cost effective energy management improvements in public and non-profit facilities in Iowa.  As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, the DAS has committed to reducing energy consumption in over 17 million square feet of buildings by at least 20 percent by 2020.  This commitment includes reducing energy in the 2.4 million square foot Capitol Complex by 20 percent by 2015. The DAS also manages the Iowa Energy Bank, a stimulus-funded $12.5 million revolving loan program to finance energy saving programs in state and local governments, schools, hospitals and colleges. As part of their Better Buildings Challenge commitment, the Energy Bank will finance projects that reduce energy consumption at least 20 percent.

State of Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Commerce works to provide state residents with the resources to make smart decisions about energy use in public and private buildings. Energy efficiency and conservation are the first options for reducing energy use and costs in Minnesota and the state recently passed Executive Order 11-12 directing all state agencies to set a goal of a 20% reduction in state energy consumption. In addition, Senator Franken has launched Back to Work Minnesota, an initiative to unlock financing for commercial and public buildings retrofits to boost energy savings and jobs across the state. As a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge, the State will be working to achieve these goals and improve energy efficiency across 30 million square feet of buildings.

SUPERVALU

With over 2,500 retail stores nationwide including Albertson's, Shaw's, Jewel-Osco, Cub, Farm Fresh, and more SUPERVALU has been at the heart of the retail grocery business for over 140 years.  At the core of its mission is being America’s Neighborhood Grocer and reducing energy use and waste across its portfolio is a key component.  With over 89 million square feet SUPERVALU is excited to be working with the Department of Energy to build the grocery store of the future and as a member of the Better Building Challenge plans to reduce by 20 percent its energy consumption by 2020.

TIAA-CREF

TIAA-CREF is a financial services organization specializing in retirement services to 3.7 million customers in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields. As a leader in the efficiency field, TIAA-CREF has committed to a Better Buildings Challenge goal of reducing energy consumption in 40 million square feet by 20% by 2020. Participation in the Better Building’s Challenge is providing a forum for TIAA-CREF to share their successes for others to learn from.

University of California, Irvine

UC Irvine is dedicated to research, scholarship, and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine educates nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, the campus is committing 7 million square feet of its most energy-intensive building space, the campus academic core, with the goal of cutting annual energy consumption by 8.8 percent in 2012. The commitment includes more than 180 buildings housing instructional, office, and complex laboratory space, as well as recreational and patient care facilities.  UC Irvine will also share some of the energy innovations developed on campus as part of its commitment, including the Smart Labs program, which has successfully reduced energy consumption in lab space by more than 50 percent using advanced occupancy and air quality sensors to reduce the amount of conditioned air exhausted into the atmosphere when conditions permit.

University of Hawaii at Manoa

The University of Hawaii at Mania (UHM) is the central and flagship campus of the University of Hawaii system. The Manoa campus is a teaching/research institution offering undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees to a full time enrollment of approximately 20,000 students. It is a 304 acre urban campus comprised of just over 5 million square feet of occupied space.  As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, the campus is committing to reducing energy use 50% by 2015.

University of Utah

The University of Utah serves over 31,000 students from across the U.S. and world, offering a diverse and broad set of programs. As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, the University of Utah has set an energy reduction goal of 20% by 2020 affecting approximately 14 million gross square feet of building space.  The University is embracing sophisticated and purposeful strategies that produce replicable results for their facilities, and any similar facilities throughout the country, and will work with the Department of Energy through Recovery Act funding in 2010 on a new net-zero project, rehabilitating the existing College of Architecture + Planning Building.  The University of Utah plans to build on the success of this relationship by improving their entire building portfolio through the Better Buildings Challenge.

Southern California Edison

Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest investor-owned utilities, providing safe, reliable and affordable electric service to nearly 14 million people.  During the past five years, SCE’s energy efficiency programs have saved more than five billion kilowatt-hours -- enough energy to power 725,000 homes for an entire year. The programs have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2 million metric tons -- the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from the road.  As a Better Buildings Challenge Utility Ally, SCE will provide a "one stop shop" for building owners, offering automated data upload into Portfolio Manager and coordinating program offerings for its customers.

Walgreens Co.

Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore chain and operates more than 7,700 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  The company has a long-standing commitment to reducing energy usage and expanding its renewable energy initiatives, and through its partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge is committing to reducing energy use by 20% by 2020 across its portfolio of 125 million square feet.  Walgreens will reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint through a comprehensive approach including investment in the most energy-efficient technologies, installation of energy management systems in thousands of locations and a commitment to renewable energy, with solar power installations at more than 130 locations.

Wyndham Worldwide

Wyndham Worldwide is one of the world's largest hospitality companies across six continents, with approximately 7,300 franchised hotels worldwide, 99,000 vacation properties, and more than 160 vacation ownership resorts. Wyndham is implementing a plan for franchise properties, to adopt energy efficient measures, including a Better Building Challenge commitment of reducing 20% of their energy consumption by 2020, over 10 million square feet of their operationally controlled facilities.

Ygrene Energy Fund

Ygrene Energy Fund offers no-cost PACE program design, administration and funding to cities and counties throughout the U.S.  Ygrene gives equal weight to careful program design, strict administrative guidelines, broad-based marketing, contractor training and certification and comprehensive support for all stakeholders.  Ygrene Energy Fund commits to generating $100 million of energy efficiency retrofits through commercial PACE projects, establishing a new means for building owners to finance upgrades with lower utility bills, increased property values, added comfort and environmental responsibility, low interest rates, long repayment periods, simple underwriting procedures and profitable economics."

Better Buildings commitments made in June include:

Abundant Power

Abundant Power is a financial services firm specializing in designing, administering, underwriting, and structuring clean energy financing programs and products.  Abundant Power expects to originate and finance more than $100 million of commercial building energy efficiency projects over the next 18 months. Abundant Power is partnering with states and municipalities, utilities, and industry partners to introduce and scale its services; aggressively market and source projects; raise debt and equity funds to provide structured financial products; and evaluate and underwrite projects and programs identified by Better Buildings Challenge partners. Since the first of June of this year, approved and financed projects for the Alabama Saves program, administered by Abundant Power, are:

Total projects funded/completed:  3 projects: $3,066,000

Total projects approved/in process:  2 projects: ~$1,900,000

Total projects under review /application submitted: 3 projects: ~$1,500,000

Total other pipelines projects identified: 20 projects: ~$19,000,000

Atlanta, GA

The City of Atlanta has united with the metropolitan business and nonprofit community to implement a comprehensive energy upgrade of participating buildings across Atlanta, with a primary focus on a 400-block area in the city's Downtown central business district. Working with the Department of Energy, the goal of the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge is to improve energy and water performance a minimum of 20% by 2020. Project partners will work with banks, funds, Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), and others to enable substantive retrofits of downtown university, healthcare, municipal, and commercial buildings. The effort is already underway with a benchmarking and assessment initiative of 20 Phase One buildings, totaling over 16 million square feet.

Best Buy

Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with over $50 billion in annual revenue, leasing or owning more than 55 million square feet of retail space in the U.S. alone. Best Buy is a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability, implementing increased efficiency operations, and instituting a recycling program, across its stores. Best Buy has committed to reduce its energy consumption in 55 million square feet of retail space 20% by 2020 in North America.  As a first step, Best Buy has been moving forward to implement an Enterprise Energy Management Solution to centralize the tracking and management of energy consumption throughout all of its stores.  The system will include both an upgrade and centralization of technology as well as support infrastructure to manage energy and will also tie in with the service management of store infrastructure.  Best Buy will be implementing a number of energy savings techniques using the new system, including eliminating overcooling of space in various zones in stores, correcting electrical phase imbalances and identifying and reducing high energy consumption during non-business hours.

Citi

Citi, a leading global financial services company with approximately 200 million consumer accounts in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions, is committed to continue developing and offering scalable financial solutions for aggregations of energy efficiency projects. Closed transactions include the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, a $70.2 million bond offering projected to create over 1,000 jobs and save State Agencies more than $26 million. Existing projects and projects under development target public and private sector clients, employ a number of financing mechanisms, partners and clients, and are sized starting at a minimum of $25 million for each transaction. As a Better Buildings Challenge Financial Ally, Citi will pursue at least $500 million in financing.

Green Campus Partners LLC

Green Campus Partners LLC is a portfolio company of Hudson Clean Energy Partners, a leading global clean energy private equity firm. Green Campus Partners LLC co-develops, structures and arranges capital for commercial, industrial, hospital, and university energy conservation projects, Energy Savings Agreements and renewable and distributed generation projects. These efforts are expected to result in more than $200 million in financing for energy conservation projects as part of the Better Buildings Challenge. Green Campus Partners works closely with the Administration, stakeholders, and other partners to make principal investments in energy efficiency projects, leveraging their expertise in energy efficiency structuring and development, deep capital markets relationships and commitment to providing solutions. Since joining the BBC in June of 2011, GCP has structured and arranged committed financings for approximately $90MM in EE transactions which includes closed or awarded transactions with 13 school districts.

Green Sports Alliance

The Green Sports Alliance is currently comprised of 35 member sports teams representing over 20 million square feet of sports venues and facilities. Supporting the Better Buildings Challenge encourages professional sports teams and their venues to implement conservation projects that will result in significant financial and environmental performance.  As a Better Buildings Challenge partner, the Alliance will aim to reduce the energy use of member facilities by at least 20% by 2020 in aggregate. The Green Sports Alliance members are identifying and undertaking energy conservation projects and are promoting the Better Buildings Challenge to all new members and partners.  Green Sports Alliance members are already demonstrating that this goal is attainable.  The Seattle Mariners and Portland Trail Blazers have implemented conservation strategies and facility improvements that have resulted in energy savings of 30 percent in fewer than three years.  Since joining the Challenge, CenturyLink Field, home to the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC, has completed an energy retrofit which will reduce its energy use by 16%.   In Los Angeles, AEG’s STAPLES Center is implementing a variety of conservation measures through their ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System to reduce electricity consumption overall by 12%.  Most recently they have begun a comprehensive lighting retrofit that will replace almost 3,000 halogen fixtures with more energy efficient LEDs throughout the facility by early 2012, saving over $80,000 per year.

Lend Lease

Lend Lease, one of the world's leading fully integrated property solutions providers, is committed to partnering with like-minded organizations and governments to deliver the next generation of sustainable communities and property and infrastructure solutions. A global leader in sustainability, Lend Lease’s Better Buildings Challenge goal is to reduce energy consumption by at least 20% during the next three to five years within its Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) portfolio.  This portfolio is comprised of approximately 40,000 homes, 800 historic structures, 19 offices and 19 community centers, representing more than 65 million square feet of real estate, ultimately helping American military families bring energy security home. As a first step, Lend Lease kicked off its partnership with a daylong event for all of its 10 projects at its Atlantic Marine Corps Communities at Tri-Command project. Sustainable efforts include continuing to green retrofit existing structures, develop an energy consumption reduction program and focus on renewable energy solutions such as solar energy generation, fuel cell technologies, wind and ground source heating and cooling technologies.

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles are participating in the Better Buildings Challenge by showcasing the LA Commercial Building Performance Partnership. This program provides energy audits and a suite of creative financing solutions to support owners of commercial property implement energy efficiency upgrades. Los Angeles will set a goal of 20% minimum savings on projects supported through the program, and the city will work with and recognize private sector property owners who make equal commitments of their own to reduce energy consumption.  Los Angeles expects approximately 30 million square feet of commercial property to be audited, using $3.2 million in Recovery Act funds with the goal of driving at least $25 million in total investment during their partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge.   Since June 2011 the LACBPP has initiated energy audits encompassing over 25 million square feet of commercial space -- from small neighborhood retailers to downtown skyscrapers -- and is developing a directory of capital providers to facilitate access to project funding options.

Metrus Energy

Metrus Energy, a pioneer in innovative financing models for industrial and commercial building energy efficiency, is partnering with industry and investors to accelerate the usage of its Energy Services Agreement financing structure. Metrus Energy plans to finance more than $75 million worth of efficiency projects as a Better Buildings Challenge Financial Ally. This will be achieved by financing qualified projects identified by Better Buildings Challenge partners, and showcasing projects under the Challenge to help stimulate greater demand. To date, Metrus has secured letters of intent for more than $10 million in efficiency projects with new customers and engaged in the early stage development of approximately $25 million in additional ESA projects.

Renewable Funding

Renewable Funding is a financial services, technology, and program management firm specializing in innovative approaches to financing clean energy and energy efficiency projects. Renewable Funding is committed to accelerating the development of commercial financing options, with a particular emphasis on the design, structuring and implementation of commercial PACE financing programs. In collaboration with their partners, they anticipate commercial PACE financing will result in over $150 million in commercial building energy efficiency projects during the Better Buildings Challenge. Renewable Funding is partnering with local and state governments, industry stakeholders, and investors to deliver commercial PACE financing; ensuring commercial PACE is designed to attract a wide range of financing options,  including access to the capital markets; and actively engaging with Better Buildings Challenge Partners to identify and approve projects on behalf of the communities they serve. Since June, the firm has invested in the technical, legal, and programmatic infrastructure needed to support PACE programs around the country.  Renewable Funding has engaged in support of commercial PACE in communities located in the states of Florida, Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and California.  In October, Renewable Funding worked with the City of San Francisco to launch a commercial PACE program with $100 million in funding capacity and the firm will be making a series of announcements regarding new programs, partnerships, and projects over the next three months.

Seattle, WA

The Seattle 2030 District is a nonprofit organization of more than 60 civic leaders, including building owners and professionals, utilities, Architecture2030, the City of Seattle, and King County, creating the first large-scale, high performance building district in the country. The 2030 District follows along an existing history of progressive energy efficiency action by the city, and includes a set of aggressive reduction goals for building energy use, water use, and greenhouse gases. By committing more than 23 million square feet of building space to the Better Buildings Challenge, the Seattle 2030 District will continue to grow as a model of public-private collaboration that will reduce energy use, generate local economic activity, and provide others with a roadmap for a sustainable future.

Transcend Equity

Transcend Equity is a leader in developing energy efficiency projects in commercial real estate, private higher education, and healthcare. As a Better Buildings Challenge Financial Ally, Transcend Equity is working to finance $100 million in energy efficiency projects by partnering with industry and investors to accelerate the usage of its Managed Energy Services Agreement (“MESA”) structure, facilitating investment in energy efficiency improvements in privately owned real estate. These projects are expected to reduce energy use by 25% or more, leveraging a recent joint venture equity investment by Mitsui USA to attract additional debt providers. As part of their participation in the Better Buildings Challenge, Transcend equity will aggressively market and source projects, evaluate and finance projects identified by other Better Buildings Challenge partners, and showcase projects under the Better Buildings Challenge to help stimulate additional demand. Since its initial commitment to the Better Buildings Challenge in June of 2011 Transcend has: expanded its staff, executed contracts with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to implement its regional Commercial and Industrial Retrofit Program, utilizing ARRA funds for credit enhancement behind major retrofit projects in the Chicago area; closed and initiated construction on a $1.5 MM retrofit project that will save 24% of the energy use in a 320,000 square foot office building, the first transaction of its kind in New York City, with credit enhancement from ARRA funds; launched a higher education retrofit initiative in Pennsylvania with equity investment from the Treasury of the State of Pennsylvania; and started pre-development on $30 MM in new retrofit projects including two private universities, two office buildings and one mixed use development.

Transwestern

Transwestern, a national, privately-held operating company specializing in commercial real estate services, investment and development is advancing its commitment to promoting sustainability and improving building performance by committing 442 office buildings, totaling 78 million square feet of its managed portfolio to the Better Buildings Challenge. Transwestern is executing its goal to reduce energy consumption across this portfolio by more than 20 percent by 2020 by working with building owners to identify and implement innovative, deep energy retrofits to lower operating costs and improve the bottom line while preserving the environment for future generations.  At one of its managed properties, a 240,000 square foot office building in downtown Washington D.C., Transwestern is currently working on a significant renovation and modernization project to replace the exterior façade, primary mechanical, ventilation and control systems in order to reduce utility expenses and improve indoor environmental quality.  To date, the energy efficiency measures that have been completed are saving almost $200,000 per year, or over $0.99 per square foot.  When complete, the retrofit is expected to have created over 500,000 man-hours of work, or over 250 full-time equivalent jobs.

USAA Real Estate

With more than $9 billion in assets, USAA Real Estate is a long-time leader in portfolio-wide energy management and reduction. USAA Real Estate provides co-investment, acquisition, build-to-suit and development services for corporate and institutional investors. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, USAA Real Estate has committed to reducing the energy use of its portfolio by 5 percent per year for almost 50 million square feet of building space.  In the last six months, USAA Real Estate completed a complete lighting retrofit of the parking garage of the FBI Chicago Building, replacing 363 metal halide lighting fixtures with extremely energy efficient LED lights.  The retrofit will reduce electricity consumption at the facility by 461,900 kWh and will save the facility over $68,000 per year in lower utility bills and reduced maintenance costs.  In addition, of the 245 buildings competing in the year-long ENERGY STAR 2011 National Buildings Competition that ended in November, USAA had two of the final 14 office buildings recognized for reducing their consumption over 15 percent.  These buildings, the GSA Social Security Administration building in Norfolk Virginia, and 350 Las Olas Centre in Fort Lauderdale, Florida reduced energy use year over year by 24.1 percent and 17.9 percent respectively.