Bryan Howard, the Legislative Director of the USGBC, has detailed the proposed GOP budget cuts that could impact green building in commercial real estate. The cuts would be such as:
- Cut $1.6 billion (nearly 20%) of the Federal Building Fund at the General Services Administration (GSA). GSA uses the fund, utilizing largely private sector employees, to modernize and update public buildings to make them more efficient and reduce the utility expenses paid for by your tax dollars.
- Cut $786 million (over 35%) of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) office at the Department of Energy (DOE). This is the home base for the Building Technologies Program (BTP) which works with industry, researchers and academia to develop technologies, techniques, and tools for making buildings more efficient, productive, and less costly.
- Eliminate $250 million in funds for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOPE VI program, which leverages private sector dollars to transform existing blighted public housing into vibrant and livable communities.
- Cut $10 million for the Energy Star program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To date, more than 130,000 buildings across the country have used the Energy Star performance rating system to manage and improve building energy use.
It will be interesting to see if the proposed cuts come to fruition.
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