In addition to the ongoing maelstrom swirling around House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and House Agriculture Committees over the carbon emissions cap and trade provisions of the climate change legislative measure, two other aspects of the bill of particular interest to the construction industry have floated to the stormy surface of the debate. Yesterday Republicans on the Senate Natural Resources Committee proposed an amendment to strip from the bill its requirement that state and local building codes be periodically revised to keep up to date with energy efficiency technologies in construction, to boost building energy efficiency in the year 2016 by 50% over 2006 levels. The amendment was defeated 13-10 on a party line vote, but the controversy will continue. While the House version of the bill requires states to certify that their building codes have been updated to modern energy efficiency standards, the Senate version does not.
A second hurdle in the House version is the "buy American" provisions for new plug in electric cars, and for construction of the factories needed to build them. "Buy American" requirements would apply to auto factory construction for electric plug in car production whether the factory was entirely new, as well as remodeling existing production lines to build these new cars.
A second hurdle in the House version is the "buy American" provisions for new plug in electric cars, and for construction of the factories needed to build them. "Buy American" requirements would apply to auto factory construction for electric plug in car production whether the factory was entirely new, as well as remodeling existing production lines to build these new cars.
