Three “Asks” Top Legislative Agenda; Focus on Sustainability

by Tracy Ostroff
Associate Editor

Summary: Hundreds of architects carried the message of sustainability to Capitol Hill Thursday, February 8, as they advocated the AIA federal issue agenda. Energy efficiency in federal buildings, sustainable design and water quality, and tax deductions for energy-efficient commercial buildings topped their list of primary “asks” during the Advocacy Day program of the Grassroots Legislative and Leadership conference. “The agenda is bipartisan and resonates with policymakers and the public alike,” says Paul Mendelsohn, vice president, AIA Government and Community Relations. “This is a slate of priorities of which AIA members can be proud.”

“Although our role is critical in being faithful stewards of planet Earth, we need partners … That’s why we’ve come to Washington—to petition our legislators to enact public policy that will allow the United States to move from the sidelines to take a leadership role in charting a more sustainable future for our planet,” said AIA President RK Stewart, FAIA, during Wednesday’s opening session.

Mendelsohn and AIA Federal Affairs Senior Director Tom Wolfe provided an overview of the priority federal issues for Grassroots 2007:

1. Federal building energy efficiency
The AIA is seeking legislation that directs federal agencies to require immediately that all buildings constructed or significantly renovated consume no more than half the fossil-fuel-generated energy that a similar federal building consumed in 2003. Beginning in 2010, the agencies should then follow a declining cap on energy consumption so they meet the minimum energy performance reduction targets compared to the 2003 baseline and reach a 100 percent reduction by 2030.

“Thanks to the Board’s far-sighted adoption of aggressive, yet achievable targets for reductions in the use building’s make of fossil fuel throughout the entire building cycle, attention has increasingly focused on the role architects and architecture can play in mitigating society’s impact on climate change,” Stewart said. (The AIA has already joined forces with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to promote integrated/high-performance building design, with a goal of reaching a 50 percent fossil fuel reduction by 2010 and carbon-neutral buildings by 2030.)

2. Sustainable design and water quality
Diminished water quality and water availability are significant emerging environmental issues that require the attention of the 110th Congress, and the AIA is advocating the extensive use of green infrastructure, including green roofs, permeable pavement, parklands, swales, and buffer areas, to reduce stormwater runoff during heavy rainfall events.

The AIA also supports the creation of incentives to build and retrofit buildings and communities to minimize their contribution to water-quality degradation. The AIA is asking members to amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) to tighten regulatory controls on storm-water sources of water pollution. In particular, the AIA supports amendments to the Act’s State Revolving Fund to encourage fund recipients to use federal monies to build green infrastructure. This would be a win for already stressed aquatic ecosystems and the economy.

3. Energy-efficient commercial building tax deduction
The AIA strongly urges Congress to pass legislation that makes the tax deduction permanent or at least extends the deduction until 2013. Congress should also increase the dollar amount per square foot allowed for the deduction from the current $1.80 per square foot to $2.25 per square foot. The bill has attracted support from both parties, with more than 75 lawmakers signing on as cosponsors.

There is already reason for optimism. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) recently introduced legislation that would extend the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction until 2013 and deepen the deduction from the current $1.80 per square foot to $2.25 per square foot. The AIA Federal Affairs team worked with Rep. Schwartz and her staff to make certain the newly introduced bill—H.R. 539, the Buildings for the 21st Century Act—contains the specific legislative language to ensure that buildings designed today will be able to make use of tax benefits. Wolfe noted that “the introduction of this legislation could not have come at a better time, as we now have a specific bill that our members can ask their legislators to support when they visit Capitol Hill.”

The bill is now before the House Ways and Means Committee. It is likely that the committee will address the bill when it takes up energy issues.

Advocacy doesn’t end with Grassroots
“The AIA has developed an extensive, values-based federal issues agenda that will show members of Congress that the AIA is an authoritative voice, knowledgeable about the issues, and at the ready to help make their communities more livable,” Mendelsohn said. “By connecting with their elected legislators on Advocacy Day, AIA members also demonstrate they understand the big picture about the critical topics of sustainability and the built environment. These are issues that are uppermost on legislators’ minds this year, and architects are poised to play a major role in shaping the federal agenda.”