Committee on the Environment

Recognized as effective policy development allies and a key stakeholder group in the fight against climate change, the US House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is reviewing the recommendations of the American Institute of Architects. Submitted by the AIA as part of the Committee’s request for information, the Institute’s proposals focused on four major topic areas.

• Building codes, describing the imperative for all US states to adopt the International Code Council’s Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix, the role the federal government could play in incenting states to adopt progressive building codes, and suggested legislative precedents for such incentives.
• Energy, with recommendations on increasing federal research into emerging technology in renewable energy and energy storage for buildings as well as the need to promote the reuse of existing buildings and to reduce embodied carbon in construction.
• Economy, with a call to continue the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction and Historic Preservation Tax Credit as well as the adoption of a proposed accelerated tax deduction that would improve the financial feasibility of energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings
• Equitable Communities, including recommendations that Congress include tax incentives for energy efficiency in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, to greatly expand the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, and to work with HUD to complete deep energy retrofits on all public housing by 2050.

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis has been charged by Speaker Pelosi with publishing a set of public policy recommendations by March 31, 2020. Decarbonizing and exceeding net-zero emissions in the building sector by mid-century was specifically named in this Committee’s charge.