mr. chairman , i rise to express my appreciation to the gentleman from michigan for offering the amendment i had planned to and was designated to offer , and to the gentleman from texas for accepting the amendment . 
mr. chairman , i rise in support of the oberstar-norton amendment . 
the amendment authorizes the administrator of the general services administration to install a photovoltaic solar energy system ( photovoltaics ) in accordance with the sun wall design project on the forrestal building , the headquarters building of the department of energy located on independence avenue in washington , d.c . 
the sun wall is an engineering and architectural marvel ; 24 , 750 square feet of power generating panels installed on the building 's south facing wall . 
it is also visually exciting , reaching 300 feet wide and 130 feet high . 
in fact , the sun wall design was selected as the winning design in an national contest sponsored jointly by the department of energy and the national renewable fuels laboratory . 
the project design was completed 5 years ago , in 2000 . 
the project design is ready to go . 
all that is left to do is provide funding for the project so that construction of the sun wall can begin . 
with ever rising oil prices and our country 's ever-increasing dependence on oil , the time has come for the federal government to get serious about alternative , renewable fuels . 
in fact , the time is long past overdue . 
the federal government is the nation 's largest energy consumer , a typical office building is estimated to spend one-third of its operating expenses on energy costs . 
using alternative sources of energy will help us reduce these costs . 
photovoltaics are a proven , reliable source of energy . 
simply put , photovoltaic systems convert solar energy into electricity . 
they not only reduce the consumption of fossil fuels , but they are highly efficient and have no moving parts , so the need for maintenance is virtually non-existent . 
because they emit no harmful pollutants , they are a clean , environmentally-friendly energy source . 
h.r. 6 does include provisions aimed at increasing energy efficiency in our public buildings . 
i am especially pleased to see in the bill section 205 ( regarding the procurement and installation of photovoltaics in federal buildings generally ) , which i offered , and which was accepted , as an amendment during consideration of the energy bill last congress . 
over 25 federal buildings throughout the country , from boston , massachusetts to san francisco , california , already use photovoltaics to great effect . 
we ought to add the national headquarters of the department of energy to that list . 
the sun wall project is an opportunity to have the department of energy headquarters building in our nation 's capital -- the building where energy policy is debated and refined -- stand as a testament to the utility and promise of photovoltaics . 
in a city of monuments , the sun wall project would be a monument to america 's commitment to advanced technologies , alternative energy and a cleaner environment . 
i urge my colleagues to support the amendment . 
