Is Obama’s “Better Buildings” Initiative Real or Rhetoric?
On February 11, 2011
By Scott Wolfe Jr
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Earlier this month President Obama unveiled an initiative to make buildings more energy efficient in America. The Wall Street Journal simply summarized the President’s goals and rationale with the following:
[The program will provide] tax breaks and other proposal aimed at getting commerical-building owners to retrofit their structures to be more energy efficient, an initiate [the President] hopes to fund with higher taxes on oil and gas companies.
President Obama introduced the program with this statement:
[O]ur homes and businesses consume 40 percent of the energy we use…So the good news is we can change all that. Making our buildings more energy-efficient is one of the fastest, easiset and cheapest ways to save money, combat pollution and create jobs right herein the United States of America.
The plan for Better Buildings is outlined in a White House “Fact Sheet,” which you can view online here. There is a lot of fluff in this fact sheet on the initiative’s ideas, and even more fluff on the White House’s Energy and Environment blog. I count 5 blog posts from February 3rd (the day the program was announced) touting this “Better Buildings” program. Administration officials, however, have yet to identify a cost for the program, or any specifics as to how anyone can utilize the program.
Obama says that all this information is forthcoming…can it be an important benefit to the green building industry? We’ll soon see. Here is a clip from the speech at Penn State when Obama announced the program:
About the Author: Scott Wolfe Jr
Scott Wolfe, Jr. obtained his J.D. degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Scott was recognized as a Leader in Law by CityBusiness Magazine. The son and grandson of general contractors, Scott is a construction litigator in the Pacific Northwest, and the founding member of the bi-coastal law firm, Wolfe Law Group. Scott is also the founder and CEO of Express Lien, Inc., a legal document preparation service for contractors. In 2008, City Business Magazine recognized Scott as one of its Innovators of the Year for the Express Lien concept. As an entrepreneur himself, Scott has a strong background in business and commercial transactions and laws. He focuses his practice on the legal issues facing the construction industry, and has represented clients in multi-million dollar construction disputes in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Scott is a LEED AP.
