Green Building an Election Issue?
One factor that has significantly increased demand for green building is government regulation that requires green building strategies. So far, GBLU has focused green building initiatives at the city level. While there has been some federal green building legislation, GBLU anticipated major federal green building legislation would emerge from Congress in 2009. It now looks like federal green building mandates could be voted on before the 2008 presidential election ever occurs.
As Congress returns to Capitol Hill today from the two parties’ conventions, one of the primary issues on the table is energy policy and offshore drilling. A recent Greenwire article detailed how Democrats intend to offer a piece of legislation that includes energy-efficiency standards for buildings in order to counter the congressional Republicans demand for offshore drilling:
Top House Democrats say that shortly after Congress reconvenes, they will put on the floor a piece of legislation that will include an expansion of offshore drilling but also a renewable electricity mandate, energy-efficiency standards for buildings and oil industry tax provisions.
Under the USGBC’s LEED rating system, projects must satisfy a minimum energy performance by complying with provisions in ASHRAE 90.1-2004. The Democrats’ legislation could require compliance with ASHRAE 90.1-2004, or a similar standard, like the EPA’s Target Finder.
GBLU was on Capitol Hill on Friday to discuss what additional Federal green building legislation might look like. The consensus was that Federal green building legislation would most likely come in the form of mandates for specific green building components. For example, Federal legislation could mandate the use of Energy Star compliant appliances. The list of possible green building mandates is long: insulation, certified wood and pervious paving are just a few.
If you think of other potential green building mandates, please submit a comment below. GBLU would like to put together a list and discuss what each mandate could look like.
While it is quite encouraging to see Congress moving towards new energy and green building policies, I do have some concerns about how these will be written and their consequences. My concern is twofold:
1)While the benefits of some of these policies (such as requiring energy star appliances) are almost universally good, we live in a country with a wide variety of climate zones, local geographies, and local resource assets and stresses. Since sustainability is so closely tied to these local factors, federal legislation should avoid "one size fits all" sustainability policies; especially if these policies are going to take the form of mandates.
2)I am curious as whether these mandates are being suggested for federal buildings/properties or for the private sector as well. Again, it is hard to argue against the wisdom of adopting stricter energy efficiency policies, but when it comes to a certified wood or pervious paving mandates for the private sector I am concerned about overburdening small business owners. My parents have run a small winery for several years, and every regulation/mandate (and there are many) with which they have to comply reduces their likelihood of their business surviving. Far better in my mind to encourage sustainability through incentives rather than mandates, especially when it comes to small businesses.
Jason,
Thanks for raising some great points regarding federal green building mandates. There are definitely some green building strategies that are more conducive to federal mandates. For example, Energy Star applicances would not be affected by climate.
Choosing incentives versus mandates is an important policy decision for the future of green building. Few cities and states have adopted mandates. One example of a mandate would be D.C.'s Green Building Act, which I have written about numerous times. While the Act includes incentives, it also includes a bond requirement that is forfeited if the building does not meet green certification requirements.
From what I am hearing, there could be an energy vote on Thursday. GBLU will keep you apprised.