Sustainability, Green Building Focuses of Proposed Energy Legislation
If adopted, energy policy could provide landscape architects more opportunities.

Congress is continuing to work toward a compromise on energy legislation as the 2007 legislative calendar draws to a close. The House and Senate are engaging in discussions to reconcile the differences between H.R. 6, the Senate energy bill passed in June, and H.R. 3221, the House energy package passed in August. Both pieces of legislation contain measures supporting renewable energy, fuel efficiency, and green building, including some ASLA-supported legislation. If adopted, the energy legislation will open doors for landscape architects to participate in renewable energy programs, such as community development and green building projects.

ASLA-supported legislation appears in both the House and Senate-passed versions of the energy bill. The High Performance Green Buildings Act of 2007 would ensure that federal buildings are designed and constructed to be more sustainable. The legislation would establish an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings within the General Services Administration and a Green Buildings Advisory Committee. ASLA is working with Congress to include landscape architects as members of the advisory committee to lend their expertise on proper site planning and sustainable design. This addition could provide opportunities for landscape architects to design sustainable federal buildings using green roofs and living walls, as well as strategic tree planting and site planning that maximizes passive energy use.

Each bill also includes versions of the Energy and Environment Block Grant, which would establish a new block grant program that supports community-based energy conservation efforts. The program would provide one-time planning grants to cities and states to encourage energy efficiency and conservation programs in commercial, residential, and municipal buildings as well as energy audits and energy technical assistance. While exact funding details have not yet been finalized, it has been decided that 70 percent of the funding would be allocated to cities of 50,000 or more and counties of 200,000 or more; the remaining 30 percent would be allocated to states for distribution to local governments with populations of less than 50,000. The Energy and Environment Block Grant could allow landscape architects to assist with large-scale site planning and community revitalization efforts within communities that would otherwise lack the resources to enlist the expertise of a design professional.

Legislative efforts to address global climate change and set a cap on greenhouse gas emissions are ramping up in the wake of former Vice President Al Gore, Honorary ASLA, and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), receiving a Nobel Peace Prize for their work on the issue. The House energy bill includes a congressional position statement on global climate change and lays out strategies to mitigate the threat. This bill also contains the International Climate Cooperation Re-Engagement Act of 2007, which establishes an Office of Global Climate Change and an International Clean Energy Foundation. Similar climate change legislation is also expected to be introduced this fall in the House by Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-MI) in addition to a bill that would impose a tax on carbon dioxide and gasoline.

Fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles and tax increases for oil producers are expected to be among the biggest obstacles for negotiation between the chambers. The Senate bill would increase corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, while the House energy bill does not alter current CAFE standards at all. And, unlike the Senate bill, the House version raises oil industry taxes by more than $15 billion to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency incentives. Lawmakers expect to work out the differences between the two bills before the Thanksgiving recess. ASLA will continue to work with Congress to ensure that comprehensive energy legislation is passed that includes provisions important to landscape architects and promotes green buildings, sustainable communities, and more effective use of energy and natural resources.