AIA Washington Council Testifies in Support of Reducing Emissions

Buildings are the greatest source of emissions and energy consumption in America. They consume between one third and one half of the energy expended in the United States. Buildings use two-thirds of all electricity and produce approximately one-third of carbon dioxide emissions. These numbers are only expected to rise.

To order to reduce building pollution the AIA Washington Council is supporting 2SHB 1747 and 2SSB 5854 which will implement the recommendations of the Governor’s Climate Action Team and significantly improve energy efficiency in Washington buildings.

The bills have faced some opposition from those who are concerned that increasing the energy effectiveness in buildings will also increase the cost of housing. You can see AIA/WA Executive Director, Stan Bowman, address these concerns and others during the hearing for 2SSB 5854 below.

Director Bowman also testified on 2SHB 1747 Friday, which you can see at TVW by clicking here