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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Improvements in the energy efficiency of | ||||||
| 3 | institutional buildings will provide short-term and long-term | ||||||
| 4 | operating cost reductions, reduce the overall use of energy in | ||||||
| 5 | Illinois, and improve building comfort; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Reducing the use of energy promotes the reduction | ||||||
| 7 | of air pollution from power plants and green house emissions | ||||||
| 8 | and saves important environmental resources; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Illinois' public universities should lead by | ||||||
| 10 | example in promoting the implementation of cost-effective | ||||||
| 11 | energy efficiency measures; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Public universities use more than 50% of the | ||||||
| 13 | energy consumed by State government, therefore cost savings | ||||||
| 14 | through improvements in energy efficiency and conservation | ||||||
| 15 | could make additional funds available for education programs at | ||||||
| 16 | universities; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, The Public University Energy Conservation Act | ||||||
| 18 | authorizes public universities to enter into guaranteed energy | ||||||
| 19 | savings contracts or energy performance contracts for | ||||||
| 20 | preliminary analyses, recommendations of energy conservation | ||||||
| 21 | measures, implementation of these measures, and monitoring by | ||||||
| 22 | the contractor of savings; and
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| 23 | WHEREAS, House Resolution 222 (2003) directed the | ||||||
| 24 | Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Department) | ||||||
| 25 | to assess energy conservation measures taken at each of the | ||||||
| 26 | State's public universities; after documenting energy | ||||||
| 27 | consumption and cost data for each of the State's public | ||||||
| 28 | universities since 1995, the Department concluded that the | ||||||
| 29 | universities could save an estimated $18 to $25 million a year | ||||||
| 30 | in energy costs; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Department's principal recommendation, in its | ||||||
| 2 | January 2004 Report to the General Assembly, is that the | ||||||
| 3 | State's public universities should adopt a shared uniform total | ||||||
| 4 | utility management plan to reliably track energy information | ||||||
| 5 | and enable quick analysis for continuous efficiency and | ||||||
| 6 | purchasing improvements; the implementation of such a plan | ||||||
| 7 | would allow for easily identifiable improvements that would | ||||||
| 8 | result in significant savings for the State; therefore, be it
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| 9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 10 | NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 11 | the State's public universities are encouraged, with the advice | ||||||
| 12 | of the Department, to prepare an energy efficiency and | ||||||
| 13 | conservation plan for their buildings that sets specific annual | ||||||
| 14 | efficiency goals for 3-year periods; and be it further
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| 15 | RESOLVED, That we urge the State's public universities to | ||||||
| 16 | cooperate with the State Board of Higher Education and | ||||||
| 17 | Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to prepare a | ||||||
| 18 | request for funding proposal to develop an energy efficiency | ||||||
| 19 | and conservation plan for the State's public universities and | ||||||
| 20 | then submit the proposal to the Illinois Clean Energy Community | ||||||
| 21 | Trust for funding; and be it further
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| 22 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 23 | presented to the Director of the Commerce and Economic | ||||||
| 24 | Opportunity, the Executive Director of the Illinois Board of | ||||||
| 25 | Higher Education, the Executive Director of the Illinois Clean | ||||||
| 26 | Energy Community Trust, and the Board of Trustees of each | ||||||
| 27 | public university in the State.
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