Score one for LEED. As the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) moves closer to choosing which green building-certification system it will use, the UGSBC and its LEED rating system received a stamp of approval today from the GSA’s Green Building Advisory Committee.
The committee officially recommended to GSA that LEED be used for all GSA buildings, and that it should be the primary way to show how agency buildings use energy and water.
The GSA is currently evaluating LEED 2009, Green Globes, and the Living Building Challenge for use in federal buildings as part of a mandated review. The Energy Independence and Security Act requires the administration to evaluate green building-certification systems for the government’s use every five years. Presently, GSA uses LEED 2009 as its system for certifying new construction and major modernization projects.
In May 2012, the GSA named the three rating systems above for further examination, and earlier this year (http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/green-standards/gsa-wants-more-input-before-deciding-on-leed-use.aspx), the GSA requested public feedback on the green building rating systems under consideration. According to an article from Federal News Radio (http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=31&sid=3307148), the comment period received more than 400 comments from 162 stakeholders. The full list of comments will be released later this spring. This summer, GSA Acting Administrator Dan Tagherlini will make a recommendation for one system, multiple systems, or no systems to the U.S. Department of Energy.