Here are the top ten pieces of green building legislation in the house right now. It is unknown how many of these will become law, but it is very encouraging that Congress is thinking about green building. There are big and small programs listed below, and all of them can make an impact on our future quality of life.
PUBLIC LAW: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Spurred green jobs across the country with the most funding ever dedicated toward clean energy and energy efficiency projects in a stimulus package. Contained over $80 billion in funds for clean energy, including over $22 billion for energy efficiency programs.
Signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009
HR 2454 The American Clean Energy and Security Act
Waxman (D-CA) and Markey (D-MA)
Spurs widespread modernization and renovation of existing building stock in America by establishing incentives for efficient building retrofits (the REEP Act introduced by Rep. Welch), incentivizes energy-efficient home mortgages and utilizes basic green building standards for public housing projects (the GREEN Act introduced by Rep. Perlmutter), improves building efficiency codes, establishes a building energy performance labeling program, creates a rebate program for water-efficient products and properties and moves the U.S. to a low-carbon future by setting targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, renewable electricity use, and industrial efficiency.
Passed the House on Jun. 26, 2009Â
HR 2187 The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act
Chandler (D-KY)
Authorizes $6.4 billion annually in 2010 for critically needed K through 12 school modernization, renovation, and repair; and ensures the best learning environments
for America’s children by requiring 100% of funds be used to meet green building standards by 2015.Â
Passed the House on May 18, 2009
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HR 4226 The Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act of 2009
Reichert (R-WA)
Makes efficient homes and buildings more achievable by increasing and extending the new energy-efficient home tax credit and improving financial incentives for energy efficient commercial buildings. Increases consumer energy awareness by establishing a tax credit for home energy ratings for the first time ever, and grows the green job market by providing financial assistance for home-performance auditor training and certification. Introduced on Dec. 8, 2009
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HR 4155 The Property Assessed Clean Energy Tax Benefits Act
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Allows American home owners to finance cost-saving energy- and water-efficient retrofits with minimal upfront costs by enabling State and local property assessed clean
energy (PACE) programs.
Introduced Nov. 19, 2009
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HR 3836 An Act to Enhance Private Financing for Clean Energy Technology Deployment
Israel (D-NY)
Unlocks private financing for clean energy by authorizing government credit support for state, local, and private entities that enable building owners and users to significantly increase energy efficiency and generate on-site clean, renewable electricity.Â
Introduced Oct. 15, 2009
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HR 4099 The Energy Efficiency Modernization Act of 2009
Kilroy (D-OH)
Improves the energy efficiency of federally assisted housing by an estimated 25 to 40 percent by enabling and incentivizing private affordable housing owners to finance efficiency and green building improvements, increasing the job market for energy
retrofi ts. Introduced on Nov. 18, 2009
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HR 1908  The Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment (WATER) Act
Coffman (R-CO)
Increases efficient use of freshwater resources and saves energy by creating a tax incentive of up to $1,500 for purchase of
WaterSense labeled products and property.
Introduced Apr. 2, 2009
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The Livable Communities Act of 2010
Perlmutter (D-CO)
*PENDING INTRODUCTION*
Promotes the linkage of transportation, housing, and energy and resource use in American communities by establishing an Interagency Council on Sustainable Communities; funds the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities within HUD, and authorizes over $4 billion in grants to incentivize integrated community planning and implementation of sustainable projects.
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The Federal Personnel Training Act of 2010
Carnahan (D-MO)
*PENDING INTRODUCTION*
Ensures the effectiveness of federal high-performance green buildings and protects tax dollars by investing in the training of federal personnel to operate and maintain high-performance buildings at peak efficiency, and promotes federal leadership in defining core skill sets for green jobs that can be replicated in the private sector replication.
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Check back with us to see if this green building legislation makes it to law! If so, there’s a good chance that this will lead to green jobs, and thus, training to perform those jobs (which is where we come in). And if you support green jobs, hopefully you support this green building legislation. Visit our
course catalog to learn more about our offerings.
Lesley Baulding, Created: Mar 02, 2010, Last modified: Feb 14, 2020
