The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would put more than $20 billion over the next five years toward improving energy efficiency in schools. Democrats say the modestly named 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act would save school districts billions in energy costs. In addition, said Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.), it will “make the facilities safer, cleaner, and better for the learning environment these children need.” The White House has threatened to veto over what it sees as “an inappropriate and costly new federal role in modernizing and renovating public schools.”
