Summary

The Department of Energy (DOE) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of updating, by rule, the baseline Federal energy efficiency standards for new Federal commercial and multi-family high rise residential buildings, found in 10 CFR 10 CFR 433, to the latest current model industry code.

DOE is required to establish the building energy efficiency standards for all new Federal buildings pursuant to section 305 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 6834 (a)(1)). The standards established under section 305(a)(1) of ECPA must contain energy efficiency measures that are technologically feasible and economically justified, and that meet the energy saving and renewable energy specifications in the applicable voluntary consensus energy code specified in section 305(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 6834(a)(1) - (3)).