U.S. General Services Administration
PRESS RELEASE: GSA Announces $79 million from Inflation Reduction Act for New, More Sustainable FDA Lab in Denver
For Immediate Release
January 19, 2023
Contact: Rich Stebbins richard.stebbins@gsa.gov
GSA Announces $79 million from Inflation Reduction Act for New, More Sustainable FDA Lab in Denver
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The U.S. General Services Administration announced $79 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by the President last year, will fund a new laboratory for the U.S. Health and Human Services-Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the Denver Federal Center.
The new laboratory will replace the current aging facility on the Lakewood campus. The funding will be used to build an all-electric, high performance laboratory that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and use energy saving technologies such as recapturing otherwise wasted heat from chillers. The project aims to be net zero through extensive use of solar panels. GSA is evaluating software controlled switch reluctance motors, a technology identified by GSA’s Green Proving Ground program, for this project.
“This new facility will provide a cutting-edge long-term solution for the FDA with world-class lab space to perform mission critical testing,” said Rocky Mountain Region Public Buildings Service Regional Commissioner, Tanisha Palermo.
This is part of GSA’s first set of Inflation Reduction Act projects - totaling more than $300 million - that aim to catalyze clean energy innovation and spur domestic clean manufacturing by incorporating emerging technologies and low-embodied carbon materials into construction and renovation projects at federal facilities across America. These projects, the first of $3.4 billion in GSA investments under the new law, will accelerate efforts to achieve the President’s goal of a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045.
“The Inflation Reduction Act gives us a historic opportunity to supercharge GSA’s efforts to spur clean energy innovation and boost demand for cleaner, more sustainable construction materials manufactured right here in the United States,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “These projects will create good jobs in communities and put us another step closer to turning federal facilities across the country into high-tech, high-efficiency models of clean energy innovation.”
“Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, we’re moving forward on the clean, electrified federal buildings of tomorrow,” said White House Federal Chief Sustainability Officer Andrew Mayock. “As our country’s largest energy consumer, taking bold action to modernize the way we build, buy, and manage federal operations creates good paying jobs in places that need them and helps us reach our nation’s climate goals.”
These first Inflation Reduction Act projects were selected based on their potential to maximize the use of low-embodied carbon asphalt, concrete, glass and steel — as well as emerging and sustainable technologies — in previously-approved construction projects.
GSA estimates that this first round of projects will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 120,000 metric tons, equivalent to the emissions created by more than 25,000 fossil-fuel powered passenger cars in one year, while reducing energy costs by $35 million over the next 20 years.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. The GSA’s Rocky Mountain Region provides products and services throughout Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. For more information, visit https://www.gsa.gov/r8 and follow us on Twitter.