A group of commercial and residential real estate organizations, including Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and The Real Estate Roundtable, sent a letter?to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) commenting on GSA?s evaluation of green building rating systems.? They noted a range of potential rating systems, and urged GSA to make a decision that reflects current practices and that will be recognized and accepted by the real estate industry.? They encouraged GSA to do a market survey and make a determination that would allow an adequate suite of systems to accommodate the diverse buildings that will be rated.
Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), every 5 years GSA is required to evaluate green building certification systems for use by Federal agencies.?? GSA?s determination can have a significant impact given that the Federal government owns or leases almost 3.4 billion square feet of real estate.
In connection with GSA?s current evaluation, three green building certification systems passed the initial screening: Green Building Initiative?s Green Globes, U.S. Green Building Council?s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED?), and the International Living Building Challenge.? However, GSA determined that none of these systems met all of the Federal building requirements.
GSA intends to hold ?public listening sessions? for members of the public to provide input and to convene an interagency review group to evaluate and make recommendations on how to proceed.? The review group?s findings will be published for notice and comment in the Federal Register, and then GSA, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy will develop final recommendations for the Secretary of Energy.
This is one more round in a process that is becoming increasingly political.? According to BOMA, a coalition led by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has been actively lobbying against use of the USGBC LEED rating systems based on the view that they discriminate against some building materials and products.? This letter is in response to lobbying efforts of both USGBC and the ACC coalition asking those in the real estate industry to take sides.
Vicki R. Harding, Esq.
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