Free Republic

It’s bad enough that American taxpayers have been repeatedly fleeced by President Obama’s many failed “green” projects, now the commander-in-chief is dedicating an extra $2 billion—on top of $2 billion already dispersed in 2011—to make federal buildings in the United States energy efficient. It’s a necessary expense to protect the planet, according to the global warming movement spearheaded—and largely funded—by the U.S. government and much of the international community. This particular investment will cut carbon pollution by more than 380 million metric tons, according to a White House announcement. That’s equivalent to removing 80 million cars from roads for a...

We see a lot of buildings being built with LEED Green Building standards. Often these are built with public money. Even the Federal Government has realized there is a limit to much of this outcome driven politicized regulation and has limited public funded projects to Silver level if Gold or Platinum will result in added cost. The surprising thing about the Green Building craze is that they are often energy hogs and they often become so-called "sick buildings" dispite their aledged intent under the LEED standards. How is that possible? First let's discuss energy usage. While Green Standards mandate 30%...

Washington, D.C. may have the highest number of certified green buildings in the country, but research by Environmental Policy Alliance suggests it might not be doing much good.The free-market group analyzed the first round of energy usage data released by city officials Friday and found that large, privately-owned buildings that received the green energy certification Leadership in Energy Design (LEED) actually use more energy than buildings that didn’t receive this green stamp of approval.LEED is the brainchild of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a private environmental group.

Environmental activists constantly pressure government agencies to intervene in the lives of others, whether it is telling them how to run their businesses, where they can build their homes, or what types of food they can and cannot eat, among countless other examples. Another area activists are increasingly focusing on is forest management, telling tree farmers how they should manage their land. Common sense would tell you that a one-size-fits-all system of land management would not fit the diverse landscapes of the U.S., in terms of climate, elevation, and many other variables. Unfortunately, common sense is not that common among...

Let’s say that a progressive community decides to implement a law that requires its residents to have a body mass index within the “normal range”. Undeniably such a measure would be good for the citizens of this community. It would reduce obesity, improve overall health, decrease health care costs and if practiced across the country would reduce food consumption causing food demand to lessen, food costs to fall, and the demand for agricultural land to lessen. To make this law more palatable to the population it will be called the Pink Code: like being “in the pink” (a healthy condition)...

One of a handful of laws in the U.S. requiring private buildings to meet LEED standards, legislation passed in 2006 in Washington, D.C., may be unenforceable as currently written. According to the Washington Business Journal, the D.C. Department of Environment is working to address a complaint from the surety industry, which issues bonds that guarantee the completion of construction projects. The law mandates specific LEED standards for new construction in the city, starting with LEED Silver public buildings in 2008 and ending with LEED Certified large commercial buildings in 2012 (see EBN Vol. 15, No. 12). Developers must provide “performance...

As a result of the December 31 presidential signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA; H.R. 1540), the Department of Defense, or DOD, is prohibited from funding any LEED Platinum or Gold certification of new buildings for the current fiscal year, unless it submits notification of intent 30 days before the money is allocated. The only exception to the rule is if LEED Gold or Platinum certifications don’t involve additional expense. Under the same legislation, the DOD is required to submit a report to Congress (Sec. 2830) no later than June 30 on energy efficiency and sustainability standards used...

The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, features an extensive use of natural light to illuminate offices and a white roof to reflect heat. It has LEED certification, the country’s most recognized seal of approval for green buildings. But the building is hardly a model of energy efficiency. According to an environmental assessment last year, it did not score high enough to qualify for the Energy Star label granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which ranks buildings after looking at a year’s worth of utility bills. The building’s cooling system, a major gas guzzler, was one culprit. Another was its...

If you're a scientist trying to convince people they are making the world warmer, Kristen Byrnes is your worst nightmare. She's articulate, intelligent, she has a Web site, and one day her people will be running the world. Her people, meaning 16-year-olds. Kristen's Web site, "Ponder the Maunder," has made her a celebrity among climate skeptics. After she posted a critique of Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth, her Web site got so many hits the family's internet service provider sent them a warning. Her story may dismay mainstream scientists, but plenty of people are friendly to her ideas. In...

San Francisco is on track to having the country's most stringent environmentally friendly building standards after Mayor Gavin Newsom introduced a measure Wednesday that would drastically alter the city's building codes. If the Board of Supervisors approves the legislation, new residential and commercial buildings in the city would be required to meet tough environmental guidelines, making San Francisco "the greenest large city in the United States of America," Newsom said. "I will sign it, fast track it," the mayor said Wednesday. "As far as I'm concerned, if you want to do business in San Francisco ... these are going to...