By the end of April, President Obama will release details of a proposal to realign, consolidate and dispose of excess federal buildings, Obama administration officials say.

The plan, modeled on the military's Base Realignment and Closure program, includes a commission that would recommend which buildings ought to be sold. Obama proposed the panel in his State of the Union speech.

The Office of Management and Budget suggests the program could save $15 billion. Another money-saving idea would retrofit buildings to be more energy efficient, said Daniel Werfel, OMB controller, at an April 6 House transportation and infrastructure subcommittee hearing. Subcommittee members from both parties said they supported the proposal.