29 June 2009 | Posted inSustainable Design
U.S. starts to put on its ‘big boy’ pants
Last friday afternoon I tuned into the Waxman-Markey debates on the House floor to hear the final death throes of republican opposition to a climate bill. CSPAN has never been so entertaining! There was a lot of melodrama and even props (!), but at the end of the day, the bill passed. I was personally invested because of the provisions for new U.S. standards for higher performance buildings (which hung in there, but with some meddling by NAR, NAHB, NAIOP, etc) as well as the utility and transportation stuff you would expect. The bill is not as stringent as it needs to be, but like the Clean Air Act of 1963, can be strengthened over time. The important thing is that there is finally a structure in place for the U.S. to address climate change and our significant role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Even major industry giants like AEP supported the bill. The bill now has to get through the senate, which might be a fierce struggle, but finally it feels like we’re growing up!
Post a Comment
heh, ’bout time we started to dress appropriate!
It looks like with the appt. of Sotomayor and the Healthcare Reform legislation going through that this may not get through the senate until fall. Hopefully!