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What's Happening from Environmental Building News

March 1, 2009

Standard 189 Committee is Back to Work

In October 2008, its work was suspended and its members were dismissed (see EBN Nov. 2008). Now, the committee charged with developing Standard 189, the first minimum, code-enforceable standard for green buildings, is back to work after being significantly reformed.

Standard 189 has been in development since 2006 under the auspices of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), along with its partners the U.S. Green Building Council and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. Without warning the partners, ASHRAE disbanded the Standard 189 committee and its 23 members (with the exception of the committee chair, who resigned). As several sources shared with EBN, the standard was in danger of being bogged down in procedural appeals from disaffected industry groups.

As planned, ASHRAE has now reconstituted the committee with 34 voting members, including 16 from the previous group. New members include individuals representing timber, steel, utility, and commercial real estate. ASHRAE’s move appears intended to insulate Standard 189 against procedural appeals from those industries, but it remains to be seen whether the larger committee with its broader array of interests can complete the development of an effective standard. According to one committee member who spoke with EBN, the commitment of the committee and its members to advancing high-performance buildings has carried the day so far. The committee’s work is continuing on a fast track under new chair Kent Peterson, P.E., picking up where the previous committee left off. The standard could be ready as soon as late 2009.

– Tristan Roberts

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