By Michael Gerrard
In an effort to address these problems, Columbia Law School’s Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL) has undertaken an effort to draft a model municipal ordinance on green buildings. The first step was to compile as many such existing ordinances and policies as possible; we found 163 of them, and have posted them on our Web site. We then analyzed them to find their best features and create a model ordinance. We have posted this model, together with detailed commentaries on its features, the rationale behind the choices it embodies, the associated legal issues, and various optional add-ons that municipalities may wish to consider. The model and commentary are primarily the work of lawyers at CCCL and Arnold & Porter, with several outside reviewers, including the Center for Code Reform. We are now inviting comments on this draft model. Published in Volume 243 of New York Law Journal.
Read the report Model Green Building Ordinance For Municipalities Open for Comment in Columbia Law School's Scholarship Archive.