Legislation + Regulation

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and 15 state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over new energy efficiency standards for certain single-family homes and multifamily housing programs. The lawsuit, filed on January 2, 2025, in the [...]

  Brazil is reconsidering its decision to eliminate daylight saving time (DST) due to climate change-related energy challenges. In 2019, former President Jair Bolsonaro ended the practice, promising a “permanent” solution to clock confusion. However, recent energy emergencies and the prospect of more to come have prompted a reevaluation of this decision. The elimination of [...]

New York City’s efforts to promote greener buildings are yielding significant results, particularly among large buildings over 25,000 square feet. According to recent research by the Urban Green Council, these buildings have shown consistent decreases in energy use for five consecutive years. The analysis of the city’s 2023 water and energy use data reveals impressive [...]

  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a large investment of $970 million to be distributed among 125 U.S. airports across 46 states, as well as Guam and Palau. This funding is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a shift in focus for FAA investments. Traditionally, the FAA has concentrated on [...]

On October 23, 2024, two significant bills were introduced aimed at protecting New York City’s bird population. These initiatives are part of a legislative package known as “Flaco’s Laws,” named after Flaco the owl, who died after flying into a building window following his escape from the Central Park Zoo in 2023. Details of the [...]

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to test procedures for general service lamps (GSLs) proposing several clarifications. Specifically, DOE proposes:  to clarify that GSLs must not be tested as colored lamps, GSLs that can operate at multiple correlated color temperatures (CCTs) be tested at [...]

  DOE previously provided guidance to general service lamp (GSL) manufacturers that the Department would not require certification in CCMS (the regulated product database) of GSL lamps that did not already require certification, until the effective date of new standards which come into effect July of 2028. DOE published a pre-publication final rule document, this week, withdrawing [...]

Many municipalities are instituting building performance standards (BPS) to drive emission reductions and energy efficiency in larger commercial buildings. New York City was one of the first municipalities in the nation to pass their BPS, known as Local Law 97 or LL97. LL97 requires the city to cut emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 80 [...]

A new law in Florida now prevents local governments from enacting or enforcing any ordinance or regulation involving EV charging stations. Senate Bill 1084 became effective July 1, 2024. Now, the authority to regulate EV chargers is exclusively held by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Orlando had an existing ordinance requiring [...]