Green on the Hill
has to produce an RMP for each proc-
ess in which that chemical is used.
As recently as June 30 of this year, a
Spokane, Wash., distributor of welding
and industrial supplies agreed to pay a
$19,472 penalty for allegedly violating
rules under the program. EPA said the
company, which uses more than 2,500
pounds of chlorine at each of its four
cited facilities, failed to update its RMP
at least once every five years. Under the
Clean Air Act at Section 112(b)(1)—the
RMP program—chlorine is considered a
hazardous chemical and an air pollutant,
and it is a known health hazard.
USGBC names top 10 list of green building bills
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
released its top 10 list of legislation to
advance green building and the resulting economic activity and jobs.
Buildings in the U.S. are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions,
40 percent of energy consumption, 13
percent of water consumption, and 15
percent of GDP per year, making green
building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.
Better building efficiency can meet 85
percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green
building has the potential to generate
2. 5 million American jobs, according to
the council.
The USGBC top 10 list honors the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act and spotlights nine other pending
bills in the House and 10 in the Senate that represent the best proposals
to advance green building. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,
which was signed into law last February, dedicates more than $22 billion
for energy-efficiency projects, including
$346 million for energy-efficient building technologies specifically.
The top 10 list includes bills that
have been introduced in Congress in
the last year that would enable innovative financing for homeowners and building owners to make efficiency improvements, increase and extend incentives
for improving schools and existing building stock, and encourage job growth
and training in the new fields of building
energy management and retrofits.
The Top 10 list:
HOUSE
1. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – Public Law
2. American Clean Energy and Security
Act – Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and
Ed Markey, D-Mass.
3. 21st Century Green High-Performing
Public School Facilities Act – Ben
Chandler, D-Ky.
4. Expanding Building Efficiency Act –
Dave Reichert, R-Wash.
5. Property Assessed Clean Energy
Tax Benefits Act – John Sarbanes,
D-Md.
6. Act to Enhance Private Financing for
Clean Energy Technology Deployment – Steve Israel, D-N. Y.
7. Energy Efficiency Modernization Act
of 2009 – Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Ohio
8. Water Accountability Tax Efficiency
Reinvestment (WATER) Act –
Michael Coffman, R-Colo.
9. Livable Communities Act of 2010
– Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.
10. Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 – Russ Carnahan,
D-Mo.
SENATE
1. Clean Energy and American Jobs
Act – John Kerry, D-Mass., and
Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
2. American Clean Energy and Leadership Act – Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.,
and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
3. Energy Efficiency in Housing Act
(EEHA) of 2009 – Sheldon White-house, D-R.I.
4. Livable Communities Act of 2009
– Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.
5.Expanding Building Efficiency
Incentives Act of 2009 – Olympia
Snowe, R-Maine
6. School Building Fairness Act – Tom
Harkin, D-Iowa
7. Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act of 2009 – Jeff Merkley,
D-Ore., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
8. Energy Efficiency Modernization Act
of 2009 – Michael Bennet, D-Colo.
9. Water Accountability Tax Efficiency
Reinvestment (WATER) Act of 2009
– Mark Udall, D-Colo.
10. Federal Agency Energy Efficiency
Improvement Act of 2009 – Susan
Collins, R-Maine
U.S. Green Building Council
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green
Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our
nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.
The U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED certification system is the fore-
most program for the design, construc-
tion, and operation of green buildings.
Over 35,000 projects are currently
participating in the LEED system, com-
prising over 6. 9 billion square feet of
construction space in all 50 states and
114 countries. – USGBC
For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.
