The Political Winds Are Changing: Part II
On Wednesday, we highlighted the Bush Administration's recent decision to order the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to not adopt regulations that would have improved energy efficiency in all federal buildings. This decision is in stark contrast to the political platform and green building policies being pushed by President-Elect Obama.
If you may recall, back in 2008, Green Building Law Update highlighted the green building political platforms of both President-Elect Obama and Senator John McCain. Among the green building proposals, both Obama and McCain supported "greening" the federal government by applying a higher efficiency standard to government buildings. While we can not be certain what an Obama Administration would have done, the Bush Administration's decision to kill the federal building energy efficiency regulation contrasts sharply with Obama's platform.
Even more telling, Obama has emphasized green building policies as part of a massive federal stimulus package that is likely to be voted on as soon as Congress returns in January:
Roughly $350 billion would be invested to rebuild roads and bridges, modernize schools and help hospitals and doctors switch to computerized patient records. That category also would include projects aimed at improving energy efficiency, such as weatherizing buildings, as well as aid to the poor through expanded unemployment and food-stamp benefits.
As one of his first acts, President-Elect Obama plans to use $350 billion to, in part, improve energy efficiency in buildings and modernize schools. Improved energy efficiency in buildings and modernizing schools will likely require green building strategies. The political winds have most definitely shifted in favor of green building policies.
If you are looking for green building projects, make sure you pay attention to the upcoming federal stimulus package. We will continue to keep you appraised here at Green Building Law Update.
With the shift toward modernizing government buildings aiming to improve energy efficiency and presumably an implementation of low energy fluorescent lights I feel it will be interesting to see what changes are made to the methods in which waste products are handled. While low energy light bulbs offer drastic energy savings and while their longer usable life means less waste, these lights often contain Mercury which if disposed of improperly will contribute to pollution. I feel it will be interesting to see how waste disposal facilities will change to adapt to the new disposal needs of green construction waste as well as any potential law suits which will arise due to the manner in which this waste is handled by both builders, building maintenance staffs, and ultimately the landfills themselves.