Several new LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) programs were recently announced by the U.S. Green Building Council (“USGBC”) and the Green Building Certification Institute (“GBCI”), including a new professional accreditation and a new LEED rating system. (more…)
Last week Philadelphia’s Gas Commission approved a report from the City Council that requires the City to avoid any purchases of gas produced in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania (more…)
Consistent with the requirement that states adopt building codes that meet or exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to qualify for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding, New Mexico developed a package of code changes designed to increase energy savings. (more…)
Despite an uncertain economy and the phase-out of federal Recovery Act stimulus funds, renewable energy deals are still going strong. Industry insiders say certain financial incentives are the keys to success. Some high-profile Recovery Act programs – in particular the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program – never made the greatest impact on the market, since government approvals took a long time and the program was best suited to only the largest projects. For most transactions, the more important financial incentives are (more…)
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit by Mississippi homeowners against a number of energy companies alleging that the companies’ greenhouse gas emissions contributed to global warming and worsened the effects of Hurricane Katrina. The request to the U.S. Supreme Court was made based upon (more…)
