For Better or Worse: White House Proposes Better Buildings Initiative

Posted on March 16, 2011 by K&L Gates

By Martin E. Garza (Dallas)

President Obama has proposed new efforts to make commercial buildings more efficient through his “Better Buildings Initiative” (BBI ). The BBI includes a variety of tools, including tax incentives, loan guarantees, streamlining of regulations and other measures, to further energy efficiency in buildings. If these initiatives move forward, owners and managers of offices, stores, schools, municipal buildings, universities, hospitals, and other commercial buildings may be looking at energy saving upgrades to their facilities. Some industry groups are beginning to line up in support of this initiative, while others may be less than enthusiastic about how such measures would be adopted and implemented.

Outline of the Better Buildings Initiative
According to the White House, in 2010 commercial buildings consumed roughly 20 percent of all energy in the U.S. economy. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 30 percent of energy in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily. Improved energy efficiency in buildings can “create jobs, save money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and make our air cleaner,” claims the White House.

CONTINUE READING

Tags: , , , ,
Trackbacks (0) Links to blogs that reference this article Trackback URL
http://www.climatelawreport.com/admin/trackback/242669
Comments (0) Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
Post A Comment / Question Use this form to add a comment to this entry.







Remember personal info?
Send To A Friend Use this form to send this entry to a friend via email.