D.C. Hotline: Toward a consensus-based green building standard

By Ben Gann, Director of legislative affairs, NLBMDA

The National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) has joined other leading associations representing a wide range of interests from the building and construction industry in the formation of the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition (AHPBC). The 32-member coalition, which includes groups such as the American Chemistry Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has the goal of promoting and supporting the development of sustainable building standards under accredited consensus processes and scientific performance data.

Formation of the coalition comes as the General Services Administration (GSA) is in the process of reviewing the use of green building standards by the federal government, while the U.S. Green Building Council continues its efforts to revise its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.

AHPBC has said GSA should only endorse green building rating systems that are developed through an open, balanced and consensus-based approach. The current credit development process for LEED is not open, available or transparent to all interested stakeholders.

AHPBC supports the common objective of improving energy efficiency and environmental performance in buildings and will continue to engage members of Congress on the issue. NLBMDA is proud to be a member of the coalition and looks forward to working with building and construction industry stakeholders in the development and voluntary adoption of green building standards that embrace a consensus-based approach.