Building Industry Gears Up to Oppose EPA Power Plan
CSBE
October 4, 2018
The Coalition for a Sustainable Built Environment is launching a campaign to oppose the EPA’s proposed Affordable Clean Energy rule that critics say will undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the environment.
In August, the EPA issued its
proposal
,
which seeks to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with a new set of rules that, among other things, could allow coal-fired plants to run longer if they became more efficient. The EPA itself has estimated that the plan could lead to as many as 1,400 more premature deaths each year compared with under the Clean Power Plan.
The building industry
letter
notes that the “the built environment represents one of the largest consumers of energy in the nation, accounting for nearly 75 percent of electricity consumption as well as nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. . . As demand for energy continues to grow, the amount of GHG emissions from the building sector could rise – unless we all commit to reducing it.”
The letter states that “Abandoning commitments to reduce fossil fuel generation will make it much more difficult for the building sector to continue reducing GHG emissions. Worse, by attempting to reduce the cost of fossil fuel at the expense of renewable sources like wind and solar, the ACE creates powerful financial disincentives for the economy to move towards cleaner forms of energy.”
The letter is open until October 25; the EPA is accepting comments on its proposal until October 31
To sign the letter, click
here
.
Disaster Reform Bill Promoting Mitigation Clears Congress
CSBE
October 5, 2018
Congress has approved legislation that reforms federal disaster relief programs to promote pre- and post-disaster mitigation.
The Senate approved the
Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA)
as part of a larger bill including reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration programs on October 3, following House approval. The bill now goes to the President.
Ac
cording to the
I
nternational Code Council (ICC)
,
the DRRA "provides new resources for both pre- and post- disaster mitigation and supports the adoption and implementation of modern building codes, such as the International Codes (I-Codes), the most widely used and adopted set of building codes in the world."
Among other things, the DRRA reforms the federal Stafford Act to
ensure that a percentage of assistance provided in the wake of disasters is invested in pre-disaster hazard mitigation, calls on FEMA to work with design professionals to develop guidance and best practices for post-disaster structural inspections, and provides better transparency in the disaster assistance process.
E&E News
Oct. 1, 201
8
Hurricanes Harvey and Florence are just the latest natural calamities to damage affordable housing and hurt the people who rely on it. Federally subsidized housing often is located in low-lying floodplains where land is cheaper.
E&E News looks at how federal affordable housing policies make natural disasters worse for low-income Americans.
More...
Bureau of Reclamation
Oct. 2, 2018
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman announced that Reclamation has selected 54 projects to receive a total of $26.5 million through WaterSMART water and energy efficiency grants. This funding will be leveraged to accomplish approximately $167 million in improvements throughout the West. The projects funded with these grants include canal lining and piping, automated gates and control systems, and installation of advanced metering.
More...
NEW IN CONGRESS
Sponsor: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Introduction: October 2, 2018
