Back in March, I gave a presentation about green building funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA"). I had planned to convert the presentation to a guide of sorts, but more pressing matters arose. I have now discovered what I hope the guide would have looked like if I had a month … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, we discussed the LEED 25 percent rule: the LEED rating system was only intended to apply to the top 25 percent of buildings. It is important to remember this premise when considering what is happening in the green building industry today. Many cities are mandating LEED certification for public and private buildings. For … Continue Reading
The Washington D.C. government has recently began incorporating Social Media 2.0 into its public outreach. Agencies have Facebook pages, some are on Twitter and officials have even taken to participating in online chats with the public. I was very excited to learn that Councilmember Mary Cheh was conducting one of these online chats last Friday. … Continue Reading
When you heard that the Department of Energy would be providing $3.2 billion for Energy-Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants to states, what kind of programs did you have in mind? I imagined weatherization of the leaky, old buildings in Washington, D.C. I imagined an incentive program to build green in D.C. I am imagined solar … Continue Reading
This week, I want to tell you about new green building developments in the D.C. metropolitan area. I like incentive programs related to green building. D.C. recently came out with a solar rebate program that will most definitely increase the installation of renewable energy systems: Beginning February 23, 2009, the program will provide rebates to … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, we looked at the best case scenario that can result from the D.C. Green Building Act "performance bond" requirement. We assumed that the green building "performance bond" was created. The scenario was not pretty and involved extensive LEEDigation™ . Today we look at the worst case scenario. Imagine no new construction projects … Continue Reading
Today I am speaking once again on the D.C. Green Building Act "performance bond" issues (see slides in this post). I have a new message for this presentation because, frankly, I am not certain we are getting anywhere. If you need some background, here are all of the Green Building Law Update posts regarding this … Continue Reading
[Sometimes, it’s better not to reinvent the wheel. As I was preparing this week’s posts, I came across Lane Burt’s analysis of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) stimulus funding. Lane, an NRDC Policy Analyst, agreed to let me use his post today. Check out Lane’s blog – it’s a great resource for energy policy analysis.] … Continue Reading
If you have been paying attention to Green Building Law Update, you know D.C. has a bit of an issue regarding a green building "performance bond" currently required by law. In short, green building "performance bonds" do not exist. A few weeks ago, George Hawkins, Director of the District Department of the Environment, testified in … Continue Reading
It may surprise you to learn that I have a real job. Seriously, I do and I love it! I am a construction litigator and I am currently involved in a major construction delay claim. I have been preparing a motion the last few days, hence the late filing of today’s post. There is a … Continue Reading
Last week, I had the pleasure of testifying before the D.C. Council regarding green building policies in the district. As mentioned in my post last week, the focus of my testimony was the Green Building Act’s “performance bond” requirement. Before my testimony, I had the opportunity to hear George Hawkins, Director of the District Department … Continue Reading
[Today we are interviewing Joan Kelsch, an environmental planner for the Arlington County Government. I first met Joan when she agreed to sit down with me and discuss the Arlington County green building bonus density program. I really appreciate the green building incentive program put in place by Arlington County. To learn about changes to the … Continue Reading
I am very excited for an event taking place today: the Public Oversight Roundtable on Green Building Practices hosted by the Council of D.C. Committee on Government Operations and the Environment. As you may recall, Green Building Law Update has repeatedly discussed the "performance bond" requirement of the D.C. Green Building Act . As currently … Continue Reading
Well, that wasn’t much time to get prepared. The Department of Energy has released the first installment of funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program. "To jump-start job creation and weatherization work, the Department of Energy is releasing the first installment of the funding – about $780 million — in the … Continue Reading
One of the first real conversations I had through Green Building Law Update was with Erica Bannerman. Erica was kind enough to ask me a loaded question about Virginia municipalities mandating green building while complying with Dillon’s Rule (turns out, municipalities can’t mandate green building). I soon found out that Erica is a Senior Environmental Specialist … Continue Reading
I have been working with the D.C. City Council recently on revisions to the D.C. Green Building Act of 2007. In particular, I have been looking for an enforcement mechanism that can be used to ensure compliance with LEED certification requirements for commercial buildings. The problem is that the current Green Building Act requires a … Continue Reading
As promised, below is the slideshow from last week’s "Green in the Stimulus" presentation as part of Rutherfoord’s Trends in Green Building seminar. Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to synchronize audio files with a slideshow – maybe next time. I had two goals when I created this presentation: (1) Explain the green building … Continue Reading
[GBLU Note: Awhile back, I had the pleasure of hearing Darren Prum speak at the William & Mary symposium, "It’s Not Easy Building Green." Darren’s presentation regarding Nevada’s problematic green building legislation was fascinating. I asked Darren to write something up for Green Building Law Update on the topic. Darren’s post is very timely. State and … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Thank you to everyone who attended Rutherfoord’s "Trends in Green Building" seminar yesterday and listened to my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation. It was great to recognize so many faces in the crowd. If you came up and spoke to … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. I am wrapping up my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation for tomorrow and wanted to provide more information that may benefit your company as you seek out green stimulus projects. As you prepare to bid federal and state projects, relationships … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. This week, in preparation for my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation, I have been providing what I hope is interesting and useful information about the stimulus. Today we are briefly going to review a new website in Virginia, Stimulus.Virginia.gov, which … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Yesterday, while preparing for my "Green in the Stimulus" talk, I came across something both hilarious and frightening. StimulusWatch.org has provided an inventory of proposed projects that could benefit from the stimulus. The list was prepared from a list of … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. On February 17, CNN ran the above headline after President Obama signed the stimulus bill. To me, a more perfect headline could not have been written. Ever since I read about the stimulus bill, one particular nuance has interested … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Love it or hate it, the stimulus package was signed into law yesterday. In the coming months and years, $787 billion is going to be used to support new projects, developments and tax cuts throughout the country. Set aside … Continue Reading
