Statement from Edward J. McElroy, President,
American Federation of Teachers, on the enactment of the energy bill

The Energy Bill passed by Congress was signed into law yesterday, enacting the High Performance Green Buildings Act of 2007 (S. 506). The law authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with state agencies to address school environmental and siting concerns.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Embracing green, healthy and energy-efficient school buildings for our children and school staff is the right thing to do. Students are more likely to excel if we provide them with optimal environments. The High Performance Green Buildings Act is a major step toward reaching that goal.

 We all know that if school buildings fall into disrepair, students and school employees are exposed to unhealthy classroom conditions for hours at a time. The High Performance Green Buildings Act gives the government long-needed authority to create federal guidelines for school siting, funding for lighting and air quality studies, and guidance for health programs that protect students from environmental hazards.

 Healthy school buildings have long been a major concern and a top priority of the AFT.  In 2006, we launched the “Building Minds, Minding Buildings” campaign, which aims to improve the conditions in school buildings through concerted and immediate action at the federal, state and local levels.

Information on the “Building Minds, Minding Buildings” campaign can be found at www.aft.org/buildingminds.

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