Energy Bill Passes House Committee

Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently passed a committee markup that has negative impacts for the real estate industry. The markup came after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called several committee chairs to deliver legislation that could be combined as a part of the July energy package that Democrats have promised since taking control of Congress.

The markup would mandate federal energy targets for state building codes for both residential and commercial buildings. In addition, it would create an office in the Department of Energy to adopt a goal to reduce energy in commercial buildings and to achieve a zero-net-energy standard. Zero net energy is defined as buildings that greatly reduce their quantity of energy resulting in no net emissions of greenhouse gases.

The National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP), along with a coalition of real estate interests, met with Chairman Dingell to express their concerns and sent a letter to the committee outlining the impact that this would have on the real estate industry. Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the committee, offered an amendment to the markup that would strike the real estate provisions, but was defeated along party lines. Ultimately, the bill passed by a vote of 27-18 at the Committee markup.

NAIOP plans to continue to educate House members on the importance of real estate to the economy and the negative impacts of this legislation on our industry.

This information was excerpted from the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties' July 12, 2007, Government Affairs e-newsletter. To read the newsletter in its entirety, click here. For more information, contact John Bryant, director of federal affairs, NAIOP, at (703) 904-7100, ext. 162.