U.S. GBC highlights green building policy developments

The U.S. GBC reports that all 50 states have shown at least some progress in green building policy and development.

Share

Even with a struggling economy and constant budget cuts, there continue to be some positive developments. The U.S. Green Building Council (U.S. GBC) reports that green technology development has made positive policy activity in all 50 states and wins in 25 states. Some of the policy highlights include:

• Florida passed legislation to allow state housing authorities to reward green building practices for competitive loans offered to affordable housing developers.
• Connecticut has created the first state-managed “green bank,” which will leverage government dollars to provide financing for green energy projects in the state.
• Illinois has established a plan to make every school in the state green. The plan is underway and has been championed by the Illinois Working Group on Green Schools.
• Michigan is working on legislation that would create major incentives for new commercial construction or renovations that earn LEED certification.
• California’s Green Building Standards Code became effective as a mandatory minimum on January 1, 2011.
• Oregon has created tax credits for commercial construction/retrofit projects that achieved high standards for building energy efficiency and offers LEED Platinum certification as a compliance pathway.

Further details about these plans and other proposals/plans championed by the U.S. GBC can be found here.