One of the very first green building legal conundrums may be resolved. The Washington Business Journal reported on October 31 that legislation will be introduced in Washington D.C. that will create an alternative to the much maligned LEED bond requirement in the D.C. Green Building Act of 2006. Under the Act, as currently written, as … Continue Reading
Three weeks ago, Washington DC was hit by both an earthquake and a hurricane. But this was not the most shocking development during the week — at least for me. Here’s what shocked me the most: I learned there is a chance that LEED bonds could be available in our nation’s capital. On Wednesday, August … Continue Reading
I can’t believe it has come to this. We are just over four months away from January 1, 2012. On that date, the D.C. Green Building Act of 2006 requires that all new construction of non-residential buildings greater than 50,000 square feet be LEED certified. While there are many technical problems with the Green Buildling … Continue Reading
Ever since I read the D.C. Green Building Act and its “performance bond” requirement, I have been morbidly interested in the idea of LEED bonds. When Kristen Bradley, at SuretyBonds.com, offered to write an article on the topic, I couldn’t help but say yes. SuretyBonds.com, a nationwide surety bond producer, works with a number of construction companies … Continue Reading
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Birk of Surety Bonds Insider to discuss surety issues and the green building industry, particularly related to the D.C. Green Building Act. As a quick reset, the D.C. Green Building Act of 2006 requires owners put up "performance bonds" that guarantee LEED certification for certain projects. … Continue Reading
In December 2009, an Amendment to the D.C. Green Building Act of 2006 was introduced by the D.C. Council. Labeled the "Green Building Technical Corrections, Clarification, and Revision Amendment Act of 2009," this Amendment includes many revisions to the original Green Building Act. One of those revisions involves the "performance bond" requirement: "’Sec. 6. Bond … Continue Reading
Back in April 2009, I took a vow of silence. I promised to stop writing about the "performance bond" requirement in the D.C. Green Building Act. I had faith the D.C. Council would address the issue. Thankfully, it appears our long nightmare may be coming to an end. Today, I am going to reset the … 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
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
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
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
Here at Green Building Law Update, sometimes we wonder if we are just talking to our parents and significant other. Then we get a comment or a great email from one of our readers and we realize someone is actually paying attention. With that said, what happened this past week in the green building industry … Continue Reading
