By John Laird

November 7, 2007

Last month I spoke before the Monterey Bay meeting of the U.S. Green Building Council. It was clear from the meeting that the green building trend has very strong momentum in California. Builders and consumers recognize that green building is an effective way to address climate change and global warming, while also saving money on energy costs.

This year I authored a bill to set standards for residential green building construction, and I co-authored bills to set standards for commercial and state-owned buildings. Covering three major sectors of buildings – residential, commercial and public buildings, the bill package focused on green building practices that utilize energy, water and materials efficiently throughout the building life cycle; enhance indoor air quality; and incorporate environmentally preferable products.

The San Jose Mercury News editorialized strongly in favor of the green buildings bill package saying, “The measures would promote more efficient use of energy and water, encourage sustainable building practices and create healthier indoor spaces. That’s good for public health, good for the environment and, in the long term, good for the economy … Gov. Schwarzenegger should stick to the green agenda he has so visibly espoused. He should sign the legislation that would provide Californians with a healthier and cleaner physical environment.” (10/11/07)

Unfortunately, a few days after my speech to the U.S. Green Building Council the governor vetoed the entire three-bill package.

Here’s what my bill, AB 1058, would have done: direct the Department of Housing and Community Development to, by July 2009, develop and submit to the Building Standards Commission residential green building standards. They standards would be developed by working with state agencies, local government and the public, and would consider existing initiatives, like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes and the Build It Green New Home Construction Green Building Guidelines. The new standards would be adopted by the Building Standards Commission by 2013.

Why are green building standards so important? Because the construction of a 2,000 square foot home generates approximately 3 tons of waste, all California households combined use 5.6 million acre-feet of applied water annually, and the residential sector accounts for roughly 31 percent of the electricity consumed in the state. With California constructing over 200,000 new homes each year and the state adding nearly 500,000 new residents each year, it’s crucial to make sure that those homes are constructed in a sustainable way.

The number of green building technologies being implemented in construction is growing rapidly, some of which include onsite electricity generation (via solar or other methods) to reduce our dependence on out-of-state power generation, providing electricity back to the grid during the day, saving consumers money, and reducing air-pollution; low-flow water fixtures; and water efficient landscaping that reduces water demand and lowers monthly bills.

So why did the governor veto the bill? Citing hypothetical situations, the governor said he feels the bill would put the health and safety of Californians at risk by being in conflict with current safety standards for earthquakes and wildfires. However, AB 1058 clearly links developing green standards with the existing building standards process. Existing law directs the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Buildings Standards Commission to ensure the hypothetical situations laid out by the governor don’t become reality.

Also, the governor in his veto said green standards should not be made statutory and that the Building Standards Commission was created to ensure an open public process. However, AB 1058 specifically uses the existing process for developing building standards and does not place such a process into statute.

The governor’s vetoes were shortsighted and out of step with a public that is hungry to address global warming in myriad, impactful ways.

While I’m very disappointed the governor vetoed my green buildings bill, I’m pleased he signed my bill on high-efficiency toilets—ironically, those very toilets are a key strategy in green buildings. The toilet legislation suffered the governor’s veto before eventually being successful. This year was my second try for green buildings legislation. I’m hopeful next year the legislature can claim success on this issue—clearly, builders and homeowners are anxious for that to happen.

For more about the Monterey Branch of the U.S. Green Building Council, visit www.usgbc-ncc.org .