by jbs042710 f3 — April 28, 2010—The Associated General Contractors of America released a green construction plan on April 22, Earth Day, that is designed to make the nation’s buildings and infrastructure become more efficient, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and cut energy consumption. The plan outlines measures designed to stimulate demand for green construction projects, boost infrastructure capacity, and improve building efficiency and green construction practices.
The plan, called “Building a Green Future,” identifies measures public officials, developers, and the construction community can take to lessen the impact of our built environment on our natural environment. Measures in the plan include doubling existing energy efficiency tax credits for commercial buildings; passing the Building Star program that invests $6 billion in improving the efficiency of commercial buildings this year; and speeding reviews and boosting local tax credits for green building projects.
The plan also calls for public building projects to incorporate state-of-the-art environmental solutions and for the federal government to make pragmatic investments in research and technology. In addition, it addresses several aspects of more efficient transportation, calls for faster approval for new sustainable forms of power generation, and tackles aging and leaky clean and waste water systems. It also urges contractors to recycle more building materials and cut waste while making it easier for construction firms and building owners to green their day-to-day operations.
