03/01/2014

Ohio Senate passes resolution urging state, local agencies to abandon LEED

The Ohio Senate approved Wednesday a resolution that calls on state and local government agencies to stop requiring that buildings be designed and constructed in conformance with LEED standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

By a vote of 22-10, with all affirmative votes coming from majority Republicans, the Senate adopted House Concurrent Resolution 25, which provides that, "the LEED v4 green building rating system no longer be used by Ohio's state agencies and government entities . . . "

Although the resolution merely expresses the sense of the Senate, rather than enacting law that specifically prohibits the use of LEED, it will nonetheless be difficult for administrative agencies, such as the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, to ignore.

The resolution was initiated at the request of Ohio chemical manufacturers and is part of a national lobbying effort by the American Chemical Council to stop the use of LEED v4, which it contends effectively prohibits use of building materials that are made in Ohio.

Sen. Joe Uecker (R-Loveland), lead sponsor of the resolution, said his legislation recognizes the value of energy efficiency standards, but urges state agencies and local governments to also keep competition in mind when bidding out construction projects.

Sen. Lou Gentile (D-Steubenville) opposed the resolution, raising concerns that the legislature was seeking to direct the operations of executive branch agencies. He said the plan drew opposition from a diverse group of interests and could send a signal that Ohio is going “backwards” in terms of the construction of efficient buildings.

Sen. Chris Widener (R-Springfield), a practicing architect, said the resolution doesn’t abandon the state’s desire to have buildings constructed in an efficient manner. Instead, he said the proposal calls for more debate on what are the appropriate building standards for Ohio.

For its part, the USGBC said, "This short-sighted resolution leaves Ohio with no third-party verified framework to ensure that tax dollars are invested in sustainable, high-performance schools and other public buildings.  Abandoning LEED means abandoning a system that has proven its benefit in Ohio, at the whim of a small but well-funded faction of companies and organizations that fear transparency and competition."

The measure goes to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration, which Republicans control by a 60-39 majority.