A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month. HB 269 would revise a 2008 law that led the Florida Department of Management Services to adopt the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program as the standard for state office buildings.
Bill supporters say other certification programs, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, should be considered, and that LEED discriminates against Florida wood growers. In a related development, the group ForestEthics in Seattle filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint contending that the Sustainable Forestry Initiative represents “green washing” by the timber industry that violates federal certification standards.
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| May 22, 2014
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| May 22, 2014
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| May 22, 2014
Just two years after opening, $60 million high school stadium will close for repairs
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| May 22, 2014
Senate kills bipartisan energy efficiency bill over Keystone pipeline amendment
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