WASHINGTON – As the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee considered broad energy legislation, Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) fought to include timber products as part of a green building standard for all federally funded buildings by opposing adoption of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.  

“The LEED green building rating system is a point based rating system that discourages builders from using wood building materials,” Stupak said.  “This is inherently unfair to the timber and forestry industries in northern Michigan and throughout much of the United States.”

The LEED building rating system awards points for use of “rapidly renewable materials,” which it defines as materials that can be grown and harvested within a 10 year cycle.  Since many trees are grown on a rotation longer than 10 years, they do not receive a favorable rating under the system.   The LEED system also excludes the two of the largest forest certification programs in the U.S., the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System.  By excluding these two popular and highly effective forest certification programs, LEED ignores the hard work of many timber producers to sustain our forests and protect the environment.

“Under LEED, builders using wood from northern Michigan forests are disqualified while builders that use Southern Pine or bamboo benefit,” Stupak said.  “The issue is not whether federally-owned buildings adhere to a ‘green’ building code, but whether they adopt a code that will discriminate against American foresters.”

During the Committee mark-up of the energy bill, Stupak noted that Committee Members had re-inserted language that would adopt the LEED standard for federally-owned buildings.  Stupak brought this issue to his colleagues’ attention and extracted a promise from them that, as the bill goes forward, they would remove the reference to the LEED system before the bill is sent to the House floor for consideration.

"We applaud Congressman Stupak's leadership on this issue,” said Donna Harman, President and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association.  “Thanks to Mr. Stupak's efforts, this bill does not discriminate against American forest products and allows for competition to flourish in the emerging green building marketplace. We believe wood building products will play a prominent role in helping achieve the objectives of this legislation, which is increased construction of energy efficient, green buildings."

Stupak serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  He has previously been recognized as the American Forest & Paper Association’s “Friend of the Forest and Paper Industry.”