Advocacy Update February 28, 2014

Spring Thaw?

The advocacy updates the last few months have been very weather focused, because it is no longer a topic for small talk. Just in case you were curious about the cities hardest hit by winter weather.

Congressional Ice Breaking

It seems members of Congress are in the mood to shed it's image as a do-nothing institution.

It has been a busy week on Capitol hill. After much anticipation and uncertainty Senators Shaheen and Portman reintroduced the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act. The new bill incorporates a number of new elements of the bill intended to draw in additional support from the U.S. Senate to advance the measure. Many of the additions, including a move to incorporate energy efficiency into the underwriting and appraisal of mortgages, are positive. While others, such as changes to federal efficiency standards for buildings and federal review of green building systems, appear to be a mixed bag. USGBC is reviewing the updated bill and will update advocates with more information as the bill progresses towards floor consideration.

Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp released a draft proposal on tax simplification this week to little fanfare from Congress or business. Consideration of the proposal this Congress appears dim.

Next week the House is set to consider the Better Buildings Act. The updated bill is expected to include some additional provisions related to the federal data center efficiency and energy transparency of federal buildings.

LEED heats things up in Ohio

After three weeks - totaling 7 hours - of opposition testimony from USGBC, Ohio chapter members, national business members, school administrators, and students, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and subsequently passed SCR 25. The resolution calls into question the state's use of LEED and encourages Ohio agencies to discontinue using it for a green building rating system.

The resolution is now headed to the Ohio House. We will keep you updated on what you can do.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated chapter members in Ohio that have put so much time and energy into defeating SCR 25. Even though we did not get the outcome we wanted in the Senate, this effort has brought the four chapters together and has built capacity for future advocacy efforts - hopefully on the pro-active side.

Housekeeping

KSE State Legislation Tracker

Please provide us for the point of contact for the person in your chapter that should receive and help you disseminate the state legislation tracker. Sign-up through this form.

State Advocacy Days

Please email me, Christina, dates for your advocacy day, if you have not already done so.

March Advocates Call
Date: March 17th
Time: 4-5pm ET
Link: https://usgbc.webex.com/usgbc/j.php?ED=224635977&UID=507270947&PW=NODdlZjEzNDEy&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

New Winter Vocabulary Edition

This winter has been brutal for large parts of the United States. It has spawned lots of new weather terms, like polar vortex, but now there is Cryoseism or "Frost Quakes."

February Advocates Call

A quick reminder about February's Advocates call. Monday, Febraury 10th, 4-5pm ET. Click here for the webinar: https://usgbc.webex.com/usgbc/j.php?MTID=m28fd11ebae3ab7142ac9a60a7136be21

Agenda:

1. Welcome

2. State fights: AL, MD, OH, SC, WA 

3. Chapter Advocacy Days

4. Around the country updates

5. Wrap-Up

Federal Update

Senator Baucus was confirmed to serve as the new ambassador to China. This sets off new musical chairs in some of important committees.

Senator Wyden will become the new chair of the finance committee. This move will likely slow some of the finance committee action on comprehensive tax reform. Wyden has publically expressed that tax extenders, including some lapsed building efficiency credits, will early priority for him. There has been no public announcement of staff changes at finance.

Senator Landrieu will become the new chair of the energy committee. Given Louisiana’s oil and gas density there is a fair bit of prognostication that extraction and public lands may be more in focus for the rest of the calendar year. This may make movement on the energy efficiency legislation, Shaheen-Portman, more challenging.

Anti-LEED Bills

The past two weeks has been very busy with a total of 6 committee hearings on anti-LEED bills in five states. Ohio has held 2 hearings on SCR 25. Brendan Ownes, VP of LEED Technical Development testified before the Ohio Senate Energy and Natural Resources. You can read Brendan's testimony here. The bill is up for testimony again this coming Tuesday, February 11th. There was also testimony heard in Washington, SB 631, in South Carolina, H.3592, and in Maryland, HB207. To hear more, please join us for the February Advocates call.

KSE Legislative Tracking Service

USGBC subscribed to a state legislative tracking service. Each chapter is allowed one point of contact to receive the legislative tracking updates. I am updating this information, please fill out this form to update the POC for your chapter. 

Chapter Advocacy Days

I am putting together a calendar of chapter advocacy days for 2014. Please email me, ckuo@usgbc.org and title it "Advocacy Day" with the date of your chapter's advocacy day. USGBC staff would like to join some chapters for these events. Cecilia Shutters and I were in Georgia for their advocacy day, however, the winter weather intervened and the event was rescheduled. We are also joining Iowa's advocacy day next week.