On February 27, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and nearly 1,000 businesses from across the country urged Congress to reject efforts to repeal the law setting goals for reducing fossil fuel use in federal buildings by 2030.
The letter comes in response to reports that the oil and gas lobby pushed to include a repeal of Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act in the bipartisan Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill.
“It is unfortunate that the fossil fuel industry has demanded gutting federal energy laws through in the Shaheen-Portman bill,” said AIA CEO Robert Ivy, FAIA. “Sens. Shaheen and Portman have spent more than two years crafting a bipartisan energy efficiency bill. We support the original bill, which has many admirable provisions, but cannot in good conscience support legislation that undermines laws that help the federal government save taxpayers money by conserving energy.”
Last year, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the otherwise bipartisan Shaheen-Portman bill that encourages families, businesses and the government to save energy. It is not clear whether the revised bill can move forward in its current form.
“We remain committed to finding consensus solutions to improve Section 433,” Ivy said. “But so long as its opponents demand a full repeal, we do not believe the bill serves the interests of the American public.”
The letter states that design and construction companies across the country are already designing buildings that meet, and in some cases exceed, the current targets in Section 433. “In fact, Section 433 has enabled design firms to develop new design strategies that they are now using to help private-sector clients reduce their energy loads,” the letter states.
A full text of the letter can be found here. A “Myth vs. Fact” document about Section 433 of EISA can be found here.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2013
Nation's largest net-zero K-12 school among winners of 2013 Best of Green Schools award
The Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, was named a winner of USGBC's annual award, along with nine other schools, individuals and communities working toward the common goal of healthy, high-performing learning places.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Nov 27, 2013
LEED for Healthcare offers new paths to green
LEED for Healthcare debuted in spring 2011, and certifications are now beginning to roll in. They include the new Puyallup (Wash.) Medical Center and the W.H. and Elaine McCarty South Tower at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin.
| Nov 27, 2013
University reconstruction projects: The 5 keys to success
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the environmental, economic, and market pressures affecting facility planning for universities and colleges, and outlines current approaches to renovations for critical academic spaces.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
| Nov 14, 2013
How increased domestic energy production affects the nation [Infographic]
In light of America's new energy resources and an increased emphasis on energy efficiency, Skanska examined the trends in U.S. energy production and consumption, as well as the benefits we may incur from increased domestic energy production.
| Nov 14, 2013
Behind the build: BD+C's 'Pedia-Pod' modular pediatric patient unit at Greenbuild 2013 [slideshow]
Next week at Greenbuild, BD+C will unveil its demonstration pediatric patient unit, called Pedia-Pod. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of this unique modular structure.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Nov 8, 2013
Can Big Data help building owners slash op-ex budgets?
Real estate services giant Jones Lang LaSalle set out to answer these questions when it partnered with Pacific Controls to develop IntelliCommand, a 24/7 real-time remote monitoring and control service for its commercial real estate owner clients.
