Green Construction Wave Hits Washington State

Washington has become the first state to enact green-building legislation, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Several major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Austin, Texas and Albuquerque, N.M., have enacted similar legislation on the municipal level.

The bill, signed by Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire in April 2005, requires all new state buildings, including K-12 schools, offices, prisons and colleges, more than 5,000 square feet to meet U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Under the plan approved by the Washington state government, buildings must achieve silver certification under the LEED program, according to the report.

The Post-Intelligencer reports that the law drew strong support and passed by a 78-18 vote. “We didn’t call this a green-building bill,” Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, tells the Post-Intelligencer. “We called them ‘high-performance’ buildings so people didn’t think they’re just hippie beads-and-incense buildings.”

According to the report, the bill’s supporters tout the plan as economically feasible in the long run—lawmakers say that the higher upfront costs of green construction will be tempered by lower utility and maintenance bills in the future thanks to green features like more efficient heating and cooling.