Montgomery County residents will have the chance tonight to weigh in on a package of seven bills designed to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the county.
The package includes 23 environmental initiatives designed tocut emissions by 80 percent in 2050.
Among them, homebuyers would need to complete an energy audit along with a home inspection; the County Planning Board would need to assess greenhouse gas emissions while preparing developments; and county vehicles would use biodiesel fuel.
Dennis Melby, president of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, will speak against portions of the package.
“If you make energy audits mandatory, it will knock some purchasers out,” Melby said, explaining that they add $300 to $700 on top of the cost of the home inspection.
Councilman Roger Berliner, an energy lawyer, hopes to convince his colleagues and constituents that the bill will promote a “green economy” in the county.
“Economic growth is increasingly tied to communities that embrace environmental ethics,” Berliner said.
The hearings will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.
