USGBC MOVES FORWARD WITH NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING STANDARD

publication date: Nov 14, 2008

Nov. 13, 2008 (Washington, DC) - The U.S. Green Building Council reaffirmed its commitment to the development of Standard 189.1 P, destined to be America's first national green building code. Created specifically for adoption by states, municipalities and other jurisdictions eager to enact a minimum level of green building performance for all commercial buildings, Standard 189.1 P is being developed as an ANSI standard under ASHRAE's leadership, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council and IESNA.

"As green building goes mainstream, government leaders are asking for tools that set minimum standards for green building," said Jason Hartke, USGBC director of advocacy and public policy. "And, Standard 189 will be an important part of that toolkit."

Cities taking the lead -- Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles - already require most commercial buildings to reach LEED Silver status. And earlier this year, the State of California authored and adopted a statewide green building code.

Doubts about the future of Standard 189.1 P surfaced in late October after ASHRAE's decision to reconstitute the volunteer committee responsible for the development of the green building code. Although rebuilding the committee will mean delays, the USGBC remains confident in the quality of the final result.

Brendan Owens, USGBC vice president of LEED technical development and a member of the Standard 189.1 P, elaborated, "USGBC is deeply committed to our work with ASHRAE and to the integrity of the standard's content. Creating a national green building code is imperative to our mission of market transformation, and we will be 100 percent engaged to make sure it delivers on that promise."