DC Set to Enact Green Building Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC-The DC Council is expected to pass legislation this afternoon that will require both the private and public sector to adopt energy efficient and environment friendly building standards. Called the Green Building Act, the law will require buildings 50,000 sf and larger, as well as any buildings that receive at least 20% of financing from public sources, to use these standards in new developments after 2012. Last week, Montgomery County in Maryland adopted similar legislation.

There is little doubt the legislation is going to pass today’s session, says Sean Cahill, vice president of Development for the Louis Dreyfus Property Group here. The only question, Cahill tells GlobeSt.com, is whether an amendment will be added that would permit developers to adopt the Portland, OR-based Green Building Initiative’s standards, called Green Globes, as an alternative to the US Green Building Council’s LEED standards. “We think it is less confusing that way,” Cahill says.

Cahill, who served on the 40-member advisory committee to this legislation, says the preference for USGBC is based on the organization’s longevity and experience with this issue.