Feds Fine Home Builders for Water Pollution Centex, KB, Pulte, and MDC will pay $4.3 million in fines for failing to control runoff at construction sites in 34 states and the District of Columbia. (EcoHome Online)

Austin Ronald McDonald House Lands LEED-Platinum Certification
Thirty-room facility includes solar power, stormwater management, and a closed-loop air handling system that prevents the spread of germs. (EcoHome Online)

As Energy Costs Soar, U.S. Looks to Solar
After decades on the fringe, solar power is closing in on America’s mainstream as surging fossil fuel prices and mounting concern over climate change spur states, businesses, and homeowners into a quickening embrace with alternative energy. (Reuters UK)

So, What Now?
What we learned from the stymied Climate Security Act and what comes next. (Grist.org)

Tampa, Fla., Approves Incentives for Green Builders
Tampa’s city council unanimously gives preliminary approval to an ordinance that offers incentives to developers that build environmentally friendly buildings. (The Herald Tribune)

Baltimore, Howard Co., Md., Search for Green Building Experts
Maryland’s Howard County Council and Baltimore City Council passed regulations last year setting lofty goals to ensure new structures meet eco-friendly guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council. Now the two governments are looking to hire consultants to review planned buildings. (Baltimore Business Journal)