GSA Administrator announces Inflation Reduction Act funding for clean-construction upgrades and preservation at Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York

August 15, 2023

NEW YORK – Today, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan toured the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City and announced an investment through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda of $11 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to repair, modernize, and enhance the sustainability of the historic building.

The $11 million IRA investment is part of a larger $68 million project that will preserve historic architecture and art, repair damage from water infiltration, and implement other structural repairs. The Custom House is a National Historic Landmark and home to several federal offices including: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the New York office of the National Archives and Records Administration.

In support of President Biden’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative  to catalyze investment in clean construction materials, GSA will prioritize the procurement of American-made, substantially lower embodied carbon concrete, steel, and asphalt for the repair and reinforcement of the Custom House. These procurement preferences using IRA funds will help avoid an aggregate of 39 metric tons of embodied carbon in the manufacturing supply chain while promoting cleaner American manufacturing. 

Administrator Carnahan also highlighted how improvements in the $288 million Silvio J. Mollo Federal Building project could be supported with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act under the President’s FY2024 budget proposal. When fully funded, the project will fully modernize the existing Mollo building, providing a high-performance facility with the latest sustainability features to achieve an all-electric LEED Platinum space for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The project would aim to include low-embodied carbon concrete, glass, and steel.

Later today, Administrator Carnahan will also meet with participants from the GSA’s Green Proving Ground program (GPG) during a roundtable to discuss sustainable technologies. The GPG program, which was also recently expanded through IRA funding, evaluates emerging and sustainable technologies in real-world settings, and will accelerate the GSA’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions in federal buildings while creating good-paying clean energy jobs. These efforts will help GSA continue to drive toward the Administration’s goal to achieve a net-zero emissions buildings portfolio by 2045, reducing emissions from GSA’s building portfolio, and improving America’s air quality. Overall, projects supported by the IRA include $3.4 billion to GSA for low-embodied carbon materials, emerging and sustainable technologies, and other measures to improve the sustainability of the federal footprint. 

“These investments are a prime example of how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is a triple-win: we’re creating good jobs, saving taxpayer dollars through energy efficiency, and ensuring a healthier, brighter future for our communities and our kids,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “We look forward to working with industry and other stakeholders as we maximize the impact of these investments for the benefit of all New Yorkers.”

“I’m proud to support these major investments in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, that I fought hard to pass in the Senate,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “This project, under the able leadership of GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, will use clean construction and American-made materials to repair and modernize the glorious and historic building, ensuring the long-term occupancy of its tenants, including federal agencies and a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian. With historic legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, and President Biden’s commitment to investing in America’s communities, we are bolstering our infrastructure, including improving the longevity and sustainability of the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in downtown Manhattan.”

GSA estimates that the $3.4 billion in investments will create over 9,500 average annual jobs nationwide for the duration of these projects, support $2.8 billion in labor income, and generate nearly $1 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments. In total, IRA investments from GSA are expected to avoid more than 2.3 million metric tons of emissions and create $474 million in utility cost avoidance over the next two decades. 

President Biden has charged the federal government to lead by example by sustainably managing its footprint of over 300,000 buildings, over 600,000 vehicles, and $630 billion spent annually on goods and services. On Dec. 8, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14057 and issued his Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs the federal government to achieve net zero emissions operations by 2050 by transitioning federal infrastructure to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings, powered by carbon pollution-free electricity.

Read more about the Inflation Reduction Act’s impact on delivering clean energy in New York.

###

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 about $87 billion in products and services via federal 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. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.