Legislative Issues
As a new service from the HBA’s legislative team, we are proud to offer special updates about local, state and Federal issues regarding the Home Building industry. Be sure to check back for the latest updates about issues affecting your business.
6/24/2009
Stop Federal Energy Code Mandates!
The House of Representatives is expected to vote Friday on climate change legislation that will create mandatory national energy code requirements for all homes and buildings. Call your Representatives today at 1-866-924-NAHB (6242) or write them through NAHB's Builder Link and voice your opposition.
The H.R. 2454, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," contains mandatory national energy code requirements for all homes and buildings. Beginning on the date this bill becomes law, all newly-constructed homes and buildings must be 30% above the 2006 IECC; 50% above the 2006 IECC by 2014 (2015 for commercial buildings); and at least 75% above the 2006 IECC by 2029 (2030 for commercial buildings). For any State or locality that cannot certify to the DOE that it has adopted an energy code that meets the national targets, the DOE can establish a national energy code.
The arbitrary energy targets contained in H.R. 2454 will increase the cost of housing in America. Greater energy efficiency in housing is critical, but it cannot be achieved through unrealistic energy code requirements that do not consider paybacks to consumers or inflicts serious harm on marginal first-time homebuyers and lower-income families attempting to move into more efficient housing.
If the code provisions aren't enough, H.R. 2454 also contains a section creating a Natural Resource Adaptation Strategy. Federal agencies with jurisdiction over natural resources, including agencies considering permits under the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the ESA, and other environmental laws, would have to consider the "impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on those natural resources." This would cause significant problems for builders seeking federal permits.
How You Can Help
Call your Representatives toll-free at 1-866-924-NAHB (6242) or write them at through Builder Link by Friday, June 26, 2009, and tell them NOT to support H.R. 2454, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009."
Tell them H.R. 2454:
* will increase the cost of housing in America, especially for first-time homebuyers and lower-income families.
* misses the energy efficiency mark by focusing only on new homes. An integrated energy efficiency strategy must include existing homes, equipment efficiency and consumer behavior.
* will undermine almost every national green standard and rating system available today (including the National Green Building Standard™, LEED, Green Globes, and Green Communities) because they do not achieve the highest energy code levels specified in H.R. 2454.
* will undermine States' rights to determine appropriate building efficiency for homes and buildings within their jurisdiction, resulting in inefficient application of efficiency standards to address varying climate zones and specific needs.
If you have any questions or comments, please email builderlink@nahb.com.
5/26/2009
With the 2009 Louisiana Legislative session at its half way point, home builders and industry professionals who do business in New Orleans have one major obstacle still ahead. As you may be aware, the City of New Orleans is currently undergoing a major revision of its master plan and comprehensive zoning ordinance, a process that the HBA has been involved in and supports. Home builders and developers have a lot riding on the new master plan
and comprehensive zoning ordinance: in order for New Orleans to
rebuild, it needs a plan that will improve the approval process for new developments and provide for a dynamic, twenty-first century city. Under the current plan structure and timeline, which was approved via a constitutional change last year, months of community input will be followed by the opportunity for the New Orleans City Council to either adopt or not adopt the plan.
This situation will change, however, if Senator Edwin Murray's (D-New Orleans) - Senate Bill 75 - is passed into law. The bill would put the final master plan up for a vote in New Orleans, thus usurping the City Council's authority. Doing so violates the home rule charter, and, if it is successful, it threatens a return of the days when the State Legislature ran the City of New Orleans. In other words, bill would weaken the development approval process because the citizens would have veto authority over certain governmental decisions related to development and/or housing that should otherwise be final. Please stay tuned to the HBA for more information about this bill and what you can do to help stop it.
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