All Posts Tagged With: "green building legislation"
District Court Judge Grants Injunction Barring Enforcement of Albuquerque Green Building Code; Legislators “Unaware” of Preemptive Federal Statutes
Chief District Judge Martha Vazquez of United States District Court for the District of New Mexico issued an order back on Friday granting a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs in AHRI et al. v. City of Albuquerque. The injunction bars the enforcement of the city’s Energy Conservation Code, which the plaintiffs claim is preempted by federal regulation, pending the outcome of the lawsuit. I thought a portion of Vazquez’ 24-page written opinion was particularly interesting in light of much of our commentary on state- and local-level green building legislation here at gbNYC. “The city’s goals [in enacting the disputed code] are laudable,” Vazaquez wrote, “[u]nfortunately, the drafters of the code were unaware of the long-standing federal statutes governing the energy efficiency of certain HVAC and water heating products.”
Popularity: 8% [?]
8Oct2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
Connecticut Construction Industry: Clarify Purview of Proposed Green Building Legislation
We’ve commented extensively here at gbNYC on proposed state- and local-level green building legislation. One consistent critique we’ve had is that many pieces of legislation have either left key green terms undefined or failed to accurately and comprehensively articulate how the legislation will be implemented. These considerations are critical given that 100 state-level, LEED-driven green building bills have been introduced here in 2008, with 18 actually taking effect. Connecticut’s construction industry recently voiced these types of concerns with respect to proposed legislation that would mandate LEED Silver certification- or its “equivalent”- for public and private sector projects. Industry representatives are concerned over the legislation’s ambiguity, pointing out that there is no definition or guidance within the legislation with respect to what an “equivalent” rating to LEED might be.
Popularity: 9% [?]
6Oct2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
An Open Letter to USGBC Requesting Data on Certified Wood
As you may know, the USGBC recently accepted public comments on proposed amendments to its certified wood credit. The purpose of the effort is to establish “a clear set of metrics, proposed as the USGBC Forest Certification System Benchmark, that any forest certification system must meet in order to be recognized within LEED.” Only Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood products are currently eligible under LEED. Earlier this year, Toronto-based construction consultant and gbNYC reader Leslie Marshall led a research team and evaluated various green building rating systems. His team’s report, “Certified Wood and the Impact of LEED,” looked closely at the Canadian market and attempted to quantify most aspects of stakeholder experiences with specific rating systems, including LEED. Recently, Mr. Leslie wrote a letter to USGBC requesting that it release certain data related to the credit in order to assist the timber industry in assessing the merits of the proposed amendments; to date, the letter (reprinted below the jump) has gone unanswered.
Popularity: 15% [?]
25Sep2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
More Green Building Legislation May be Imminent for Garden State
Earlier this week, Hudson County Assemblyman Ruben Ramos of Hoboken sponsored two green building bills as New Jersey’s fall legislative session opened up in Trenton. The first, A1626, would require affordable housing to implement green design features, though the bill as proposed does not mandate any particular formal certification or include specifics on how the legislation would be enforced. The second, A2065, would provide low-interest loans available to developers who construct or renovate a building that qualifies as a “high-performance green building,” which is defined in the bill as “a building having at least 15,000 square feet in total floor area that is designed and constructed in a manner that achieves at least a [S]ilver rating according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System as adopted by the United States Green Building Council.” Ramos was also a co-sponsor of last year’s Green Building Tax Credit Act (S1077, which is apparently still pending before the legislature); that bill would provide developers with up to $20 million in annual tax credits which they’d be able to apply to their state corporate, income, sewer, and water taxes.
Popularity: 16% [?]
18Sep2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 1 comment | Continued
Industry Protests Against Southampton Solar-Powered Pool Legislation
The Southampton Town Board heard proposals earlier this week to amend a new law that will require all new pool heaters to be solar-powered. The law is facing opposition from the Northeastern Pool & Spa Association and the Long Island Pool & Spa Association (”LIPSA”), industry groups that represent pool equipment manufacturers and dealers. Although it would be the first such law on Long Island, a handful of municipalities nationwide have already adopted similar laws. John Tortorella, one of the largest swimming pool contractors in Southampton, praised the concept as “a good idea,” but also cautioned that “all hell will break loose” if the law is enacted as currently drafted, requiring customers to incur thousands of dollars in additional plumbing and infrastructure costs. LIPSA argued before the Board that solar-powered pool heaters require more room to install than electric or gas heaters, and could require some pool owners to remove decks and trees in order to comply with the legislation.
Popularity: 13% [?]
10Sep2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
Mega-Rich Go Green, Bloomberg’s Global Warming Task Force, MTA’s Green Escalators, & Randall’s Island Green Roof
gbNYC selects green news items of note that were reported across the New York City area during the week of August 10, 2008, including developer Joseph Moinian’s 1500-foot-deep geothermal well on Park Avenue, Mayor Bloomberg’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, difficulties as the MTA turns on its new green escalators, the installation of a 7000-square-foot green roof on Randall’s Island, and more green legislation for both New York City and New Jersey.
Popularity: 16% [?]
17Aug2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 1 comment | Continued
ML: Glass Tower Hall at SUNY Cortland Earns LEED Certified Rating
SUNY Cortland’s Glass Tower Hall dormitory building recently received LEED certification from USGBC. The $12.6 million project was completed back in August of 2005 and is the school’s newest residence hall, housing upper-class and transfer students.The 194-bed dorm includes a bicycle room that’s large enough to store a bike for every student, as well as charging stations for hybrid automobiles. Standard LEED features include efficient HVAC systems, windows, and insulation. The design team, which included Ashley McGraw Architects and Burt Hill Kosar Rittlement Associates, also specified a number of sustainable features for the project’s landscaping, including narrow sidewalks, efficient lighting, and native shrubbery.
Popularity: 15% [?]
4Aug2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
City Council’s Infrastructure Task Force Debates Solar Power Installations
During a panel discussion that was held earlier today at Hunter College, local alternative energy experts and city officials debated how Gotham might encourage increasing solar power to public and private buildings. The City Council’s infrastructure task force organized the forum, and co-chair Daniel Garodnick explained that under current regulations, a building owner is required to pay the costs of hooking a solar power system to the Con Edison grid. It’s not that simple, though; a 32-page .pdf document called “Standardized Interconnection Requirements and Application Process for New Distributed Generators 2 MW or Less Connected in Parallel with Utility Distribution Systems” sets forth the parameters. The New York Times’ City Room blog reports that one idea the task force is considering is creating various “solar empowerment” zones, where neighboring buildings that are suitable for solar installations could tie their arrays together and pay for just one connection to the Con Ed grid.
Popularity: 18% [?]
31Jul2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
Huntington (LI) LEED Legislation Offers Incentives for Developers to Go Green
Earlier this evening, Huntington, Long Island’s town board approved legislation that offers local developers incentives for pursuing a LEED rating. The program requires developers to provide $1.00 per square foot to the town of Huntington itself. If developers build to any level of formal LEED certification, they get to keep 80 cents on each dollar upon final completion and award of a LEED rating. If the project does not receive LEED certification, all of the funds are forfeited to the town. Monies raised will finance the program itself, as well as assist Huntington in educating local officials about green building issues.
Popularity: 20% [?]
1Jul2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued
What Will LEED v3 Mean for Green Building Legislation?
In an email that was circulated yesterday, USGBC President Rick Fedrizzi announced that his organization’s long-awaited next generation rating system, LEED Version 3.0- which will be known as LEED 2009- will debut for public comment on Monday, May 19. Generally speaking, LEED 2009 will reorganize credits from each of the existing LEED systems into a Bookshelf System, individually weigh credits based on environmental impact, and offer regional bonus credits. However, one of gbNYC’s more specific interests with respect to LEED relates to municipal and state level legislation that either provides an incentive for or mandates LEED-compliant construction.
Popularity: 22% [?]
16May2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 1 comment | Continued
Green Building Initiative Joins Chase for High-Performance Building Standard
Almost a year ago, USGBC announced that it was developing a new building standard in cooperation with ASHRAE and IESNA. Standard 189P for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings remained open for public comment through the end of last July. Though modeled on it, 189P is not the same thing as LEED. It’s intended to contain a series of performance-related criteria- including targets for energy and water efficiency- that buildings must satisfy in order for municipalities to issue a certificate of occupancy for new buildings or major renovation projects. The Green Building Initiative has announced that, it too, is in the process of developing a similar standard based on its Green Globes tool.
Popularity: 11% [?]
7May2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 1 comment | Continued
Managing Risk in Sustainable Building Conference Set for February 7-8 in Chicago
In its 2006 Green Building White Paper, Building Design + Construction magazine called upon the legal profession to examine the potential liability issues that could arise from green standards. It asked the American Bar Association or a leading law school to lead the charge and critically analyze the legal implications that green building regulations might implicate. As far as I can tell, the first conference that will begin to dig into these issues is taking place next week in Chicago. Sponsored by the Alberti Group, it’s not too late to register for Managing Risk in Sustainable Building: Policy, Performance & Pitfalls.
Popularity: 25% [?]
28Jan2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 2 comments | Continued
Call for Green Building Legislation in the Garden State, Future for Green Apartment Buildings, and Eco-Friendly Concrete
gbNYC selects green news items of note that were reported across the New York City area during the week of January 15, 2008; descriptions and links are after the jump.
Popularity: 11% [?]
20Jan2008 | Stephen Del Percio | 0 comments | Continued-
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