LEED Buildings Conflict With Instate Governments

GREENS are popular with much of the population in this country, particularly in areas where the rubber does not meet the road.  LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building certification process developed by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non profit located in D.C.  The LEED certification has a set of nine key points to determine the merits of a building: 1) Sustainable Sites, 2) Water Effeciency, 3) Energy and Atmosphere, 4) Materials and Resources, 5) Indoor Environmental Quality, 6) Location and Linkages, 7) Awareness and Education, 8) Innovation in Design, and 9) Regional Priority. LEED buildings are preferred by tenants who want to be in good graces with the environmentalists.

The Materials and Resources provision has generated friction in some governments. Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas each have less than 100,000 acres, out of millions of acres, of timber land certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to qualify as suitable for LEED structures. Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia in 2012 used an executive order to ban state government construction projects from asking for LEED certification.  Some 99% of Georgia forests were excluded from consideration for proper green material. The Alabama and Mississippi legislatures enacted bans, and a bill in North Carolina passed by the House is working its way through the Senate. The Florida legislature passed a bill, awaiting the governor's signature, requiring use of local wood when possible. The Green Building Council does not like the typical management of southern forests, including mono culture plantings and clear cutting.

If you are ready to buy or sell timberland, or other acreage, please call me at 904-421-8537 in Jacksonville, FL.

Henry Rogers, ALC, CCIM