Environmental

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Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Recent Report Quantifies the Market for Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Posted on 23 Apr 2012 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP In March, The Rockefeller Foundation and DB Climate Change Advisors released a research paper entitled United States Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Market Sizing and... Read More

Tags: historic buildings , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , building reuse , energy savings , energy efficient buildings , Energy Service Agreements , Property Assessed Clean Energy , Columbia Law School , greenhouse gases , retrofitting

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Global Agencies Launch Project to Promote Energy Efficient Buildings in East Africa
Posted on 6 Jun 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP In May 2011, the Global Environment Facility, in collaboration with two United Nation agencies (the U.N. Environment Program and the U.N. Human Settlements Program), announced... Read More

Tags: Global Environment Facility , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , U.N. Human Settlements Program , GHG , East Africa , energy use , energy efficiencies , building energy efficiency , greenhouse gases

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Report Quantifies the Environmental Value of Building Reuse
Posted on 2 Apr 2012 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP Recently, the Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation issued a report that confirms the environmental benefit of building reuse. The report concludes... Read More

Tags: historic buildings , New York , carbon emissions , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , building reuse , Climate Change , energy efficient buildings , Columbia Law School , National Trust for Historic Preservation , retrofitting

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Urban Green Council Releases Report Finding That Green Codes Task Force’s Recommendations Have Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Saved Energy
Posted on 11 Apr 2012 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On February 2, 2012, the Urban Green Council released a report finding that New York City is on track to meet its goal of lowering carbon emissions, energy consumption, and waste... Read More

Tags: Arnold & Porter , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , GHG , energy savings , Urban Green Council , Columbia Law School , Center for Climate Change Law , energy efficiency , greenhouse gases , Green Codes Task Force

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Dept. of Energy and ASHRAE Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Develop Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings
Posted on 9 Aug 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On July 25, 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) announced that they had signed a memorandum... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , smart grid , building energy , ASHRAE , energy conservation , Columbia Law School , energy efficiency

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: President Directs Federal Agencies to Enter Into $2 Billion Worth of Energy Efficiency Contracts for Buildings
Posted on 29 Dec 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On December 2, 2011, President Barack Obama directed federal agencies to enter into at least $2 billion worth of contracts over the next two years to improve government buildings'... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , building energy , energy savings , government buildings , Better Building Initiative , energy conservation , Columbia Law School , Department of Energy , energy efficiency

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Federal District Court in Washington State Upholds State Energy Code
Posted on 18 Apr 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On February 7, 2011, a federal district court in Washington State held in Bldg. Indus. Ass'n of Wash. v. Wash. State Bldg. Code Council that the Washington State Building... Read More

Tags: EPCA , preemption , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , residential construction , energy code , Building Industry Association v. Washington State , Washington state , energy efficiency

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: San Francisco Passes Law Requiring Building Energy Audits and Benchmarking
Posted on 18 Apr 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP Recently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to pass the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance , which requires owners of commercial buildings... Read More

Tags: energy performance , commercial buildings , benchmarking , Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , energy management , energy audits , Energy Star , San Francisco , energy efficiency

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Report Finds that Existing Technologies Could Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Buildings by 25% by 2050
Posted on 19 May 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On May 16, 2011, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report that found that greenhouse gas emissions from residential, commercial and public buildings, which currently... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , CHP , solar heating , International Energy Agency , thermal energy storage , emissions , energy-efficient technologies , energy efficiency , greenhouse gases , IEA

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Department of Energy Requires States to Review and Possibly Update Their Building Energy Codes
Posted on 26 Jul 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP The Department of Energy recently published two final determinations that will require states to review and possibly update their residential and commercial building energy... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , building energy , ASHRAE , building codes , IECC , model codes , energy conservation , Energy Policy Act , energy efficiency

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: EPA Launches Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program
Posted on 19 Apr 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP In February 2011, EPA launched its Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program . The program is seeking to make tools and resources available to communities wishing to... Read More

Tags: mixed use development , Cullen Howe , commuter , greenhouse gas emissions , parking , Zoning , livability principles , walkability , sustainable communities , EPA

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Senator Carper Introduces Bill Designed to Improve Energy Efficiency in Federal Buildings
Posted on 18 May 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On May 11, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) introduced a wide-ranging bill setting energy efficiency standards for new federal buildings and requiring federal agencies to make... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , building energy , energy savings , energy use , smart meters , water usage , energy efficiency , federal buildings , greenhouse gases

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: Department of Energy Will Use Full-Fuel-Cycle Analysis When Determining Energy Conservation Standards for Appliances
Posted on 31 Aug 2011 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On August 18, 2011, the Department of Energy said in a policy statement (Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment:... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , GHG , appliance efficiency , full fuel cycle , energy conservation , Columbia Law School , Department of Energy , energy efficiency , greenhouse gases , National Energy Modeling System

Arnold & Porter: Hydraulic Fracturing – Legislative and Regulatory Materials and the Comprehensive Case Chart
Posted on 3 Aug 2012 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP Hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a process used by the oil and gas industry for more than 60 years, has attracted the national spotlight. By injecting fluids and other materials... Read More

Tags: Utica Shale , oil wells , Cullen Howe , fracking , drinking water , clean air , shale gas , natural gas drilling , Arnold Porter , hydraulic fracturing , Marcellus Shale , groundwater contamination

Columbia Law School Center for Climate Change Law: PACE Update-Court Issues Decision Concerning Litigation Over FHFA’s Stance and Agency Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Posted on 5 Sep 2012 by J. Cullen Howe

By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP This blog has been following the controversy surrounding Property Assessed Clean Energy, more commonly referred to as PACE. Here's an update: Background In... Read More

Tags: Cullen Howe , Green Buildings , clean energy , energy savings , energy efficient buildings , Renewable Energy , Columbia Law School , PACE