SB 576 offers compromise that some say makes for better policy on building green
By Cindy Robert, AIAO Lobbyist
As of this writing, our high performance building legislation (SB 576) is about to be voted on in the State Senate after passing the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously.
But the bill is different from what we brought to the committee. Some say it is a compromise, some say it is politics, and some (including AIA members) say it is better policy all around.
Why the change? Timber.
The Green Building Initiative (which is backed by the timber industry) has been working nationwide to make sure that its standard, Green Globes, is used in any state or municipal law regarding construction to sustainable standards. Recently, they achieved success in Colorado and Texas, and Oregon was the next target.
Amendments GBI proposed would have made any reference in our bill to LEED also include Green Globes. Hence, language would be changed to say that state buildings had to reach the "LEED or Green Globe" standard.
...Certainly, arguments against this amendment are quickly popping into your head. Ours, too...
However, Oregon is a timber state and the mills were able to have their union workers join them in speaking against LEED. They argued that LEED discriminated against our state's major industry. The governor, a LEED advocate in his administration's building policy, even wondered if that might be true. From the left to the right, we were stuck in a political battle, and policy was no longer at the front.
A sustainable quagmire.
While we battled for legislator allegiance for quite some time after an initial public hearing that brought this debate to the forefront, the impending work session that Chair Brad Avakian granted us made us look for a different way to assure green building by the state.
A great team of advocates from AIA, the U.S. Green Building Council, other trades and many experts provided a resolution - one that all accepted.
SB 576 directs the Department of Energy to adopt a sustainable building standard for the state. Much like the Building Codes Division's ability to choose a standard (remember the UBC vs. IBC battle?), the Department of Energy will be charged with holding hearings and adopting a program.
...It is imperative that I stop here and thank Betty Merrill of the Department of Energy for all her guidance, patience and perseverance on SB 576...
But the directive does not come to the department carte blanche. The amendments we proposed clearly outline the characteristics of the code to be adopted. Furthermore, the lifecycle cost requirements we placed in the amendment, make gold (or three globes) the goal and even platinum (is that four globes?) sustainability levels entirely possible.
...Stopping again to thank Gina Franzosa of Cascadia Green Building Council for her insights, wordsmithing and cheerleading...
Our next stop is the House of Representatives and time is short, as only six weeks are left in session at the time of this writing. Hopefully, by the time our Summer Oregon Architect newsletter is printed, we will have succeeded in passing SB 576; state buildings will be being planned to the highest level of sustainability (did you read that the state is planning two new buildings on the capitol mall?); you are all happy; and I am sitting on a hot summer day under the shade of a big tree, at peace with timber.
...Tom Pene, John Blumthal, Dana Crawford, Chris Eberle - congratulations, you did it!