Fighting Global Warming: Three ABQ City Councilors Propose Green Building Measures

As reported in this Albuquerque Journal article and a city , three Albuquerque city councilors are proposing a bill to encourage the use of green building practices in the city. The legislation (O-07-73), called the Albuquerque High Performance Buildings Ordinance, will be introduced at the next City Council meeting on Wednesday, February 21, 2007.

Martin Heinrich, Issac Benton and Michael Cadigan held a news conference recently to explain the plan, which has these three components designed to help move Albuquerque into the forefront of communities trying to deal with global warming:

• Part I of the legislation adopts the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code standards. By adopting the 2006 standards, Albuquerque would be surpassing what is required by the State (which still uses the 2003 code) and holding ourselves to a higher standard of energy conservation.

• Part II creates the “Albuquerque High Performance Buildings Ordinance,” which applies to all new construction and significant alternations of existing buildings.

  • Under this section of the ordinance, projects that are LEED certified will receive Priority Plan Check Processing at the City. This will help encourage and expedite the construction of energy-efficient buildings.

  • Requirements include: higher standard of efficiency for air conditioning and heating systems, building insulation, roof insulation, and hot water heaters; testing for building leakage; Energy Star appliances and low-e windows.

• Part III tackles an air-quality issue by amending the Woodburning Ordinance to include five additional materials – garbage, paints, paint solvents, treated wood, and waste petroleum products – that are prohibited from being burned.

Quotes:

According to Councilor Isaac Benton, a green architect with 30 years of professional experience, “The requirements set forth in this ordinance take care of what I would call the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of efficiency standards that any architect and builder can achieve at relatively low cost. Though the changes being proposed are actually quite simple to make, the impact on our environment will be significant.”

"My sense is that it will not be controversial, except for the lowest end of builders and contractors," he said. On the City Council, "I would be surprised if we have significant opposition. To me, it's mom and apple pie," Benton said.

“We have been working for a number of months to draft legislation that will serve as a national model for addressing the global problem of climate change,” explained Councilor Martin Heinrich. “This ordinance will move Albuquerque into the forefront of green building in the United States and help us get a handle on Albuquerque’s greenhouse gas emissions by mandating higher standards of energy efficiency for all residential and commercial buildings in the city.”

Councilor Michael Cadigan said it will help the city be "a serious player" in dealing with global warming. In addition, he said, "we think this will save money for consumers and businesses in the long term through lower energy bills and an overall reduction in demand for energy, increase demand for energy-saving products and reduce air pollution."

The councilors also said they'll be looking for more ways to tamp down Albuquerque's contributions to global warming, including in the area of transportation.

Click here to read the ordinance and track its progress. All citizens are invited to attend the City Council Meeting at 5:00 PM on February 21, 2007 when the ordinance is scheduled to be discussed. City Council meetings are held at the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center, One Civic Plaza NW. Call 768-3100 for more information on the Council.

To contact your councilor about this legislation, .