By Michael B. Gerrard, Danielle Sugarman
With the pressing need fo reaction and with comprehensive climate legislation stalled at the federal level, local governments are playing an increasingly important role in pursuing energy efficiency and renewable energy alternatives. Munucpalities not only account for a large portion of four national energy consumption, but control many aspects of local energy efficiency standard and zoning laws which promote or inhibit the installation of renewable energy resources.
These factors have not been lost on local officials. The last several years have seen a proliferation of municipal ordinances that address energy efficiency through green building practices. Yet, these ordinances vary widely in their design, content and coverage, and in the quality of their drafting. Similarly municipal laws regulating wind and solar energy installations vary widely among cities, towns and villages, with most having no provisions at all. This patchwork of laws can complicate the work of architects, engineers and lawyers who must try to conform their clients' projects to local requirements.
In an effort to address these problems, Columbia Law School's Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL) has undertaken a municipal ordinance project that seeks to address local siting challenges faced in the area of green buildings, commercial wind and residential solar energy generation.
Published in Volume 31 of The New York Environmental Reporter.
Read the article Model Municipal Ordinance Project Designed to Facilitate Wind and Solar Projects and Green Buildings in Columbia Law School's Scholarship Archive.