The Howard County Council is considering green building legislation that has both the carrot and the stick.
But the stick part is less common among jurisdictions around the country adopting green bills.
“Those are still very much in the minority,” said Jason Hartke, manager of state and local advocacy at the U.S. Green Building Council, referring to measures that mandate green construction in private buildings.
The carrot in Howard County Executive Ken Ulman?s green legislation is tax credits for buildings that achieve certain higher levels of certification in nationally accepted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, techniques.
The stick is a requirement that all new public buildings and private buildings of a certain size to be LEED certified on a basic level.
As the council has been parsing through the bills, the issue of mandates versus incentives has been a major piece of the debate.
Most jurisdictions around the country adopting green legislation require it for municipal buildings and include incentives for private buildings, Hartke said.
Montgomery County and Washington, went a step further by passing laws requiring green certification in public and private buildings.
Measures that go beyond requiring green standards in municipal buildings “have kind of been initiated at local level and are community based decisions that really involve stake holders and community,” Hartke said.
Howard County Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, a vocal opponent of government mandates, said he is working on changes to make the standards required only for public buildings.
The Howard County Chamber of Commerce has also spoken out against mandates, but supported the legislation with a few changes.
Council Chairman Calvin Ball, D-District 2, said the legislation may be “a mandate that is palatable” if some of the concerns are addressed.
Green building consultant David Pratt, of Lorax Partnerships LLC, called the legislation “very powerful.”
“It demonstrates true leadership,” he said.
