PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - Jun 24, 2011) - The Oregon State Legislature approved two bills this week that for the first time recognize the Green Globes® green building guidance and assessment program in Oregon State Law. House Bill 2960 and House Bill 3672 will provide low interest loans to provide energy efficiency upgrades to school buildings and revamp green building tax credits.
House Bill 2960 establishes the Clean Energy Deployment Program within the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) to provide grants and loans over a period of four years to school districts that apply for help with clean energy and energy efficiency projects. Participating school districts may finance projects to weatherize, upgrade, and retrofit K-12 public schools as well as to retrofit or replace school bus fleets to improve their fuel efficiency. The bill requires that at a minimum, projects must receive two Green Globes, LEED Silver certification, or an equivalent or higher rating as determined by ODOE.
House Bill 3672 is a comprehensive overhaul of many of Oregon's existing tax credits. The bill streamlines and focuses Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit by replacing it with three smaller credits for conservation, renewables, and transportation. The renewables program will provide Oregon tax credits for buildings that receive a four green globes rating from the Green Building Initiative.
Ward Hubbell, President of the Green Building Initiative, the exclusive U.S. licensee of Green Globes, had this to say: "We're pleased that the Oregon Legislature will join 22 other states in recognizing Green Globes as an alternative to building owners interested in improving their sustainability practices. Green Globes offers an effective, practical and affordable way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings."
The Green Building Initiative is based in Portland, Oregon.
GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE (GBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches for commercial construction. GBI is the exclusive U.S. licensee of Green Globes®, a revolutionary green building guidance and assessment program that offers an effective, practical and affordable way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings. www.thegbi.org
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Hans Bernard
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