Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), lead the charge to include more energy efficiency standards in a bill reauthorizing the HOPE VI public housing program (HR 3524). The bill passed the full House of Representatives by a vote of 271 to 130.
Perlmutter, as chair of the Financial Services Committee Energy Efficiency Task Force, spearheaded the inclusion of provisions requiring public housing authorities to institute energy efficiency building standards in all new public housing developments built in accordance with the HOPE VI public housing program.
Perlmutter, who debated the green building provisions on the floor, stated, “Reforming our energy policy was an integral part of the Democrats taking over Congress and so far under the guidance of the House leadership we have followed through on our promise. We need to change the way we think and act when developing communities in order to make them more sustainable, and this bill does that. By seeking and creating avenues to improve our energy efficiency we can protect our environment, strengthen our national security and create jobs.”
The HOPE VI program is a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program providing for the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of distressed public housing projects. The program was created in 1992.
The green building provisions encountered stiff opposition from several Republicans on the House floor because they did not want to make the green building provisions mandatory. Perlmutter effectively rebutted the arguments by noting this program is not a federal mandate to builders, but a federal program using taxpayer dollars the way taxpayers want their money to be spent.
Perlmutter was asked by Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank to head an Energy Efficiency task force for the committee and also to work to keep these key energy efficiency provisions in the HOPE VI housing bill. Perlmutter and members of the Energy Efficiency Task Force also are working on another legislative package promoting energy efficiency standards for the committee.
