The Buildings Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), USGBC, and 14 other organizations have released a report advocating nearly three-dozen measures that the Obama Administration can take across 23 agency programs to further the economic and environmental effects of green building without introducing new legislation.
The report, “Better Buildings through Executive Action: Leveraging Existing Authorities to Promote Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Multifamily and Commercial Buildings,” further develops an April 2010 report that detailed nearly 100 legal authority opportunities across 30 federal programs to enhance energy efficiency in U.S. buildings. Many recommendations from that report are seen in the Obama Administration’s Better Buildings Initiative, such as improving the Energy Efficiency Commercial Building Tax Deduction, using Department of Energy loan guarantees, and using the Small Business Administration’s financing programs to fund the energy-efficient retrofits of commercial buildings.
Recommendations in the new report include revising guidance on the use of Section 179D, the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings; helping building owners access aggregated data on tenant energy consumption in multitenant structures; facilitating the use of widely recognized residential energy-efficiency labels; streamlining building energy efficiency and sustainability into programs managed by the Economic Development Administration; using the Department of Defense’s procurement and research authorities to advocate green building; and implementing all cost-effective retrofits identified through audits carried out by federal agencies, using energ- savings performance contracts or other innovative financing.
The report was prepared by Van Ness Feldman, a law firm specializing in energy, environment, and natural resources law and policy with offices in Seattle and Washington, D.C. Joining BOMA International and the USGBC in releasing the report were the Center for American Progress, the Energy Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners, HDR, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson Controls, Lennar Homes, the National Association of State Energy Officials, the National Housing Conference, the National Resources Defense Council, the Real Estate Roundtable, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and the United Technologies Corp.
For the full report, click here.