By Mike Davis, FAIA
With the change in leadership – and membership – in the US House of Representatives, the publication of the much-discussed “Green New Deal”, and Speaker Pelosi’s reconvening of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, AIA COTE® Advocacy is energized by new opportunities to advance our advocacy agenda in 2019. While our opposition to policies that weaken federal environmental protections and greenhouse gas reductions continues, we have also been focused on maximizing the advocacy possibilities created by the Administration’s release of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4).
As the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Charles Schumer, has expressed his intent to bring an infrastructure package to the 116th Congress that addresses resilience and the root causes of climate change, AIA COTE® Advocacy has prepared a list of infrastructure policy priorities that would enhance such legislation. Our list—that includes emphasizing that buildings ARE infrastructure, that new permanent tax incentives to increase energy efficiency in existing buildings should be created, that building owners should participate in potential carbon markets, and that state-to-state grid interconnection and distributed generation regulations should be standardized—are being refined in anticipation of a meeting with Senator Schumer targeted for late February.
Following the change in leadership in the House, we are watching as its Committees publish their 2019 legislative priorities and hearing agendas. With our ongoing work with AIA Grassroots Advocacy to secure in-district meetings between AIA Member-constituents and Representatives on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, we are preparing to bring our 2019 infrastructure policy recommendations to the House as well.