Green Building Bills Praised as Largest Step NYC Can Take to Combat Global Warming and Build a Green Workforce

(New York, NY – June 26, 2009) Environmental Defense Fund today testified that if the New York City Council passes a green building legislative package, it could “generate thousands of jobs” and “position the city and its workforce as national leaders in green building technology.”

EDF testified at a 10am public hearing in City Council Chambers about the green building legislative package, which would apply to 22,000 city buildings over 50,000 square feet – 2.5 billion square feet — approximately 45 percent of the square footage of all city buildings. The legislative package includes an energy code bill, a lighting bill, a benchmarking bill and an audit/retrofit bill.

“These bills constitute the largest and most cost-effective action New York City can take to reduce energy demand, greenhouse gas impacts and consumer electric bills,” said Elizabeth Stein, an attorney at Environmental Defense Fund. “The bottom line is that energy efficiency helps the bottom line. These bills require only changes that pay for themselves, and they will cut energy bills for homeowners and businesses in all boroughs. Equally important, efficiency reduces summer peak electricity demand, lowering the risk of blackouts and reducing pressure to build power plants in our communities.”

Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn announced the green building legislative package during a ceremony in April. The bills are designed to achieve carbon reductions, train workers for new jobs that will be created by the legislation, and help finance energy-saving improvements by using funds from the federal stimulus bill, formally called “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”

“EDF applauds the flexibility built into the bills,” added Stein. “The retrofit bill, which achieves the largest reduction of the entire package of bills, gives building owners flexibility to decide for themselves which changes are most cost-effective for their buildings, and there are generous timelines and exemptions that recognize challenges posed by the current financial crisis.”

“This is the time to act: global warming must be solved and energy bills must come down,” concluded Stein. “President Obama has made a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions a signature priority, and a bill capping greenhouse gas emissions is making its way through Congress. By acting now, New York can develop its workforce early, and be ready to lead a national market for energy efficiency expertise.”