[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 120, 109th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

120 STAT. 2920

Public Law 109-431
109th Congress

An Act


 
To study and promote the use of energy efficient computer servers in the
United States.  NOTE: Dec. 20, 2006 -  [H.R. 5646]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. STUDY.

NOTE: Deadline.    Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency, through the Energy Star program, shall transmit to the Congress
the results of a study analyzing the rapid growth and energy consumption
of computer data centers by the Federal Government and private
enterprise. The study shall include--
(1) an overview of the growth trends associated with data
centers and the utilization of servers in the Federal Government
and private sector;
(2) analysis of the industry migration to the use of energy
efficient microchips and servers designed to provide energy
efficient computing and reduce the costs associated with
constructing, operating, and maintaining large and medium scale
data centers;
(3) analysis of the potential cost savings to the Federal
Government, large institutional data center operators, private
enterprise, and consumers available through the adoption of
energy efficient data centers and servers;
(4) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to
the energy supply chain through the adoption of energy efficient
data centers and servers, including reduced demand, enhanced
capacity, and reduced strain on existing grid infrastructure,
and consideration of secondary benefits, including potential
impact of related advantages associated with substantial
domestic energy savings;
(5) analysis of the potential impacts of energy efficiency
on product performance, including computing functionality,
reliability, speed, and features, and overall cost;
(6) analysis of the potential cost savings and benefits to
the energy supply chain through the use of stationary fuel cells
for backup power and distributed generation;
(7) an overview of current government incentives offered for
energy efficient products and services and consideration of
similar incentives to encourage the adoption of energy efficient
data centers and servers;
(8) recommendations regarding potential incentives and
voluntary programs that could be used to advance the adoption of
energy efficient data centers and computing; and

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120 STAT. 2921

(9) a meaningful opportunity for interested stakeholders,
including affected industry stakeholders and energy efficiency
advocates, to provide comments, data, and other information on
the scope, contents, and conclusions of the study.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that it is in the best interest of the
United States for purchasers of computer servers to give high priority
to energy efficiency as a factor in determining best value and
performance for purchases of computer servers.

Approved December 20, 2006.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 5646:
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HOUSE REPORTS: No. 109-538 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 152 (2006):
July 11, 12, considered and passed House.
Dec. 7, considered and passed Senate.