The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) approved for publication of its highly anticipated airborne infection risk mitigation standard for buildings. For those not overly into HVAC, ASHRAE is the governing society responsible for developing building design as well as energy efficiency standards and guidelines for building
The new standard that was
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California Jumps the Line ahead of the SEC and enacts two significant Climate Disclosure Bills
Last week, the California legislature passed and, earlier this week Governor Newsom signed, two climate disclosure bills which focus on the financial risk of greenhouse gas emissions. Full text of the bills can be found at SB 261 and SB 253.As signed, the bills will require that companies doing business in California will be required…
HUD – over $4B in lending capacity and $840M in grant funds under its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced more than $4 Billion in loan capacity and $840 Million in grant funding availability for investments in clean energy at multifamily properties that receive HUD assistance.The funding is designed to encourage investment in a variety of clean energy projects with a stated goal…
Plastic Bag Bans – A New Jersey Update
By way of an update to our April 27, 2023 Blog post regarding plastic bag and straw bans, we thought it a good time to circle back to what is going in New Jersey (other state updates will follow).
The relevant NJ plastic bag ban bill can be found at https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/plastic-ban-law/docs/plastic-bag-law-c117.pdf
Per a press release…
Seattle – Not Just for Starbucks These Days – Mayor Proposes Greenhouse Gas Reduction Legislation
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently proposed legislation that would require the city’s large commercial and multifamily buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (“GhG”) over the next several decades and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Per the City’s press release, the standards were nearly 2 years in the making, are expected to reduce annual commercial building…
ISSB issues global sustainability and climate-related standards
In June 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (the ISSB) published its first set of global sustainability and climate-related disclosure standards for investors[1]. The ISSB was established in November 2021 at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) as a sister board to the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and is responsible for developing…
The General Services Administration and the National Deep Energy Retrofit Program – Electrification of over 41 Buildings – $300M of Investment Value!
Last week, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued its largest ever notice of opportunity under its “National Deep Energy Retrofit” program, announcing their intent to leverage funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for projects in four (4) states and the District of Columbia. The projects are intended to accelerate the agency’s efforts to achieve…
Plastic Bag Bans – Do They Work?
According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer per a report issued by the City of Philadelphia (the “City”), the City’s 2019 plastic bag ban has resulted in a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags – i.e., the equivalent of filling Philadelphia City Hall with plastic bags every 8 months which would be…
The SEC and its continued focus and enforcement of “Greenwashing” by Alek Smolij
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has positioned itself as one of the United States’ leading government regulators on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and in 2023 has continued a pattern of active enforcement actions focusing on their perceived view of ESG misconduct. The underpinning of these actions has its roots in…
Two Proposed EPA Rules Could Dramatically Increase Electric Vehicle Sales
By Duane Morris
On April 12, 2023, the EPA announced two proposed vehicle emission rules aimed to accelerate the transition to electric passenger and commercial vehicles.
The proposed standards do not require that manufacturers produce a certain number of electric vehicles, but instead set forth limits on greenhouse gas emissions that manufacturers must comply with for particular vehicle fleets.…