TPA Is Still Waiting For Answers From GSA About LEED

On January 17, 2013, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the General Services Administration requesting, “a copy of all e-mails to the U.S. Green Building Council or the ‘USGBC’ from the General Services Administration from 2002 to 2011,” and “a copy of all e-mails from the U.S. Green Building Council or the ‘USGBC’ to the General Services Administration from 2002 to 2011.  A third FOIA request was sent for “a copy of all General Services Administration e-mails that mention the U.S. Green Building Council or the ‘USGBC’ from 2002 to 2011.”  These requests are part of an ongoing investigation by TPA into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification system promulgated by the USGBC and mandated by the GSA for all new federal buildings.  As of March 7, 2013, TPA has received no response to the FOIA requests.  Even if there were no records that were responsive to the requests, GSA should have notified TPA with that information.  USGBC may have inadvertently forced GSA to play their hand when they mentioned to a reporter (in response to TPA’s FOIAs), “The group is likely to be disappointed, says Lane Burt, USGBC’s director of technical policy, who adds that USGBC staff members correspond regularly with GSA staff members.”  The good news is that the USGBC has at least acknowledged that records exist.  The bad news is that there hasn’t been a response from the GSA.

The FOIAs were just the latest in an attempt by TPA to find out why these onerous regulations exist and find out what sort of collaboration there was between the USGBC, a private, non-science based non-profit organization, and the federal government.  Even more disturbing (but not all that shocking) is that the USGBC is benefitting financially from these new burdensome regulations.

Since 2010, the GSA has mandated LEED gold standards for all new federal buildings.  There have been investigations by USA Today and the New York Times questioning whether LEED standards really lead to cost efficiency and that these new standards actually increase the cost of construction of LEED certified buildings.

A USA Today story highlighted some problems with LEED, “Across the United States, the Green Building Council has helped thousands of developers win tax breaks and grants, charge higher rents, exceed local building restrictions and get expedited permitting by certifying them as ‘green’ under a system that often rewards minor, low-cost steps that have little or no proven environmental benefit, a USA TODAY analysis has found.  The council has certified 13,500 commercial buildings in the U.S. as green and become one of the most influential forces in building design by helping persuade public officials and private builders to follow its rating system, known as LEED.  More than 200 states, cities and federal agencies now require LEED certification for new public buildings, even though they have done little independent and meaningful research into LEED’s effectiveness. LEED can add millions to construction costs while promising to cut utility bills and other expenses.”

The New York Times noted that, “LEED certification, with all its attendant paperwork, can increase the cost of construction by as much as 20 percent.”  Not exactly what taxpayers can afford.

TPA’s investigation into the relationship between the GSA and the USGBC will continue because taxpayers deserve answers about any regulation that could have a disastrous affect on the economy and taxpayers.