The Facts About The American Clean Energy and Security Act

Here are some of the facts about H.R. 2454 (now H.R. 2998),  the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

The bill, as it passed the House:

• Limits the energy labeling provisions to new construction only
• Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions from residential and commercial buildings under the Clean Air Act
• Eliminates an early proposal to bolster a private right of action so the citizens could sue over minor climate risks under the Clean Air Act ; that proposal is no longer in the bill as passed by the house
• Provides property owners with significant financial incentives, matching grants and the tools to make property improvements and reduce their energy bills
• Establishes a multitude of green building incentives for HUD  housing, including a loan program for renewable energy, block grants and credit for upgrades in mortgage underwriting
• Does NOT create energy audit requirements for real property at time of sale
• Exempts existing homes, multifamily and commercial buildings from any federal energy labeling guidelines (such as the existing federal Energy Star label program)
• Leaves decision entirely to state governments whether to pass a law to require labels (but it expressly prohibits labeling during a transaction)
• Creates a national building code standard that improves energy efficiency in buildings (and states have one year to bring their state codes into compliance)
• Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating carbon emissions from residential and commercial buildings under the Clean Air Act
• No longer includes provisions to bolster private right of action under the Clean Air Act that would have allowed citizens to halt construction over minor risks – whether real or imagined
• Offers property owners with matching grants and diagnostic tools to make property improvements that save energy
• Provides green-building financial incentives for HUD housing, including loans, block grants and credit in underwriting for energy improvements

There’s a lot more in the bill than just this, but these are some of the highlights of the bill pertaining to homeowners, buyers, sellers and Realotrs. Click here for H.R. 2454 (now H.R. 2998),  the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, in its’ entirety.