‘Green’ buildings face a flood of doubts

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Sep 25, 2023 View in browser   By Corbin Hiar More than 800 U.S. buildings certified as "sustainable" are at extreme risk of flooding — and may have to be abandoned as the planet continues to overheat. That's because the U.S. Green Building Council — an influential nonprofit that works to make buildings more climate-friendly — has for years largely overlooked the impact of extreme weather. Its point-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification generally offers new building projects just four points out of a possible 110 for taking steps to protect projects from flooding. LEED certification is a big deal: It's subsidized or required by more than 350 local and state governments as well as the General Services Administration, which manages the vast federal building stock. But the LEED system has a significant shortcoming The Green Building Council has affixed its coveted three-leaved seal to 830 new buildings in the past decade that have as much as a 50 percent chance of flooding every year, according to an analysis by POLITICO's E&E News and the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit that models likely climate impacts. Design experts said the findings suggest that tens of millions of tax dollars have been directed toward new projects that may need to be repeatedly repaired or torn down before the end of their expected life span. That raises questions about whether some green buildings are truly sustainable. "It's a contradiction to call something sustainable if it's also prone to hazards like flood," said Samuel Brody, the director of Texas A&M University’s Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas. It's difficult to know how many new LEED buildings have flooded because the Green Building Council doesn't track that information and most states don't require building owners to disclose such details. But E&E News visited two LEED-certified buildings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that were damaged in a recent deluge and found several others across the country that had been temporarily shuttered due to floodwaters. The Biden administration and industry groups are working to better integrate resilience into local building codes and the LEED rating system. Yet the Green Building Council said any improvements to LEED won't happen until 2025 at the earliest. In the meantime, dozens or hundreds more LEED buildings could be constructed in ways and locations "that are destined to flood or burn," said Alice Hill, who served as the National Security Council’s resilience policy chief during the Obama administration.   It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Corbin Hiar. Arianna will return soon! Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Marie French explains why companies developing green projects are requesting more public aid from New York, along with the reaction from state regulators and ratepayer advocates. Power Centers President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House last week. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Oil production is surging The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has signed off on more oil and gas leases on federal land during President Joe Biden's first two years and seven months in office than under former President Donald Trump, writes Shelby Webb. U.S. oil production is expected to hit an all-time high of almost 13 million barrels a day by the end of the year. But gasoline prices in the United States remain high, the result of production cuts in the global oil market. Is FERC about to shrink to three? The budget impasse in Congress could make it tough to fill an open seat at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That complicates an ambitious FERC agenda aimed at expanding the nation’s power grid to foster new wind and solar projects, writes Catherine Morehouse. Congress is attempting to fill the seat vacated by former FERC Chair Richard Glick after he faced opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Republican commissioner James Danly may also leave at the end of the year. Energy justice 'roadshow' The Department of Energy plans to provide as much as $1 billion to proposed direct air capture projects in Calcasieu Parish, La., and Kleberg County, Texas. But some residents of those disadvantaged communities say they feel left out of the process, writes Jean Chemnick. The projects would be the first two funded under DOE's $3.5 billion program for direct air capture hubs. The nascent technology pulls carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and stores it underground. In Other News EV batteries take a hit: Ford paused construction on its $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, but it would not say whether the United Auto Workers' ongoing strike played into the decision. Financial turmoil: Plans to funnel more than $1 trillion a year in private investment for climate projects to the developing world could overwhelm poorer economies. Fracking: A new analysis shows that increasingly complex oil and gas wells require massive volumes of water to access the fuel. That is threatening Texas aquifers.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Local residents use buckets of water to slow down flames approaching their houses in Alcabideche, outside Lisbon. As wildfires become more common in Portugal, six young people felt empowered to take 32 European governments to court for what they say is a failure to adequately address climate change. | Armando Franca/AP Photo Climate lawsuits targeting governments and the energy industry are proliferating in the U.S. and in an international court. California’s decision last week to sue oil companies has added legal firepower to the effort, according to analysts. The State Department is meeting with companies in African countries such as Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to secure critical minerals for advanced batteries and other energy technology. Blue-state lawmakers are joining advocates in calling for the Supreme Court to preserve a legal tool, known as the Chevron doctrine, used to defend regulations designed to protect the environment and public health. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S TECH & AI SUMMIT: America’s ability to lead and champion emerging innovations in technology like generative AI will shape our industries, manufacturing base and future economy. Do we have the right policies in place to secure that future? How will the U.S. retain its status as the global tech leader? 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