A New Indiana House Bill...
A new Indiana House Bill would require all new buildings constructed by local governments and schools to meet green building standards. House Bill 1063 recently passed the Indiana House by a 51-47 vote and will move on to the Senate. The bill would require all buildings erected by local governments to achieve a "silver" rating on the U.S Green Building Council's LEED standards. The Indianapolis Star reported that proponents of the bill argue that this bill could be implemented with no additional costs, but would save the taxpayers 40 percent on energy of the life of the building. But opponents of the bill disagree, arguing that if there is no additional cost, there should be no need to require the green standards. "Why isn't this happening on its own? Why do we need to mandate the standards?" asked Rep. Sean Eberhardt, R-Shelbyville. "If it's the same cost, why don't we just let the natural progression of things take hold and let it happen on its own?"
According to the Indianapolis Star, Indiana is already among the thirty three states that have adopted some form of guidelines requiring green building—referring to Gov. Mitch Daniels' 2008 executive order requiring all new state buildings to meet LEED's silver certification. However, If House Bill 1063 passes the Senate, Indiana would become just one of ten states that have passed laws requiring green standards to be met for all public buildings, which is where proponents of the bill want Indiana to be.
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C. Michael Shull, III focuses his practice on construction law and litigation. Michael's client representations range from casinos and ENR Top 400 contractors to design firms and subcontractors.