NYC Aborts Green Building Plan

New York City is nixing a mandate that would have required all buildings of 50,000 square feet or more to take steps to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including energy audits and implementing upgrades to improve efficiency.

Building owners sharply criticized the plan, citing that the bulk of associated costs would essentially fall under their responsibility.

Earlier this year, the Empire State Building took on a $20 million eco-friendly retrofit. In New York City, buildings contribute 80 percent of total carbon emissions. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com

Officials estimated private investors would need to contribute $2.5 billion for building improvements as the city only could allot $16 million in federal stimulus funds for these projects.

According to The New York Times, roughly 22,000 buildings would have been affected under this mandate and would have catapulted the city to the forefront of the sustainable construction movement.

According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, if passed, the bill would have created 19,000 construction jobs. However opponents argued that this is an overestimate, as the real estate industry is still reeling from the recession.

But while green construction and retrofitting efforts have been stalled on the city level, in September New York Gov. David A. Paterson signed a law mandating that all new government buildings in the state adhere to green building standards.

Effective Aug. 27, 2010, the State Green Building Construction Act will require all future construction and major renovation projects on New York state government buildings to follow new building standards set by the New York Office of General Services.

According to Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, the author of the bill and a member of the Environmental Conservation Committee, the new law will lead to the construction of more energy-efficient building, saving money for both businesses and taxpayers.