Tuesday, January 17, 2012
After an era of burgeoning federal and state support for green building, the prolonged economic recession may be eroding commitment for sustainable construction in some quarters. Congress recently passed HR 1540, which will prevent Department of Defense funds from being spent to support efforts to achieve LEED Gold or Platinum unless an effective cost-benefit ratio is demonstrated. In addition, the Secretary of Defense will be required to report to Congress by the end of June regarding sustainable design standards used by military projects for both new construction and renovation. The moves put the DoD at odds with the General Services Administration, which requires LEED Gold for all new federal construction and major renovations. A court challenge is likely. Meanwhile, the city of Albuquerque is rolling back its strict energy code (based on the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code) in favor of the less stringent existing state code.
http://bit.ly/AvFNGU and http://buswk.co/xPAFns
