AHPBC Withdraws Appeal to USGBC of LEED v.4

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, CREATING AN EXPANDED USGBC COMMITMENT TO STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

Washington, DC (November 21, 2017) – Following many conversations over multiple years, the American High Performance Buildings Coalition (AHPBC) today announced that, as a result of substantial process improvements and new procedural transparency,  AHPBC has withdrawn a 2013 appeal of LEED v. 4 lodged with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

“Given the inclusion of new stakeholder-driven LEED development processes and greater transparency, we are pleased to withdraw our earlier appeal. We commend USGBC’s engagement on these issues and believe these changes meet our objectives to ensure that any green building standards must be developed with broad-based stakeholder input to allow for an open, transparent and fair process that engages industry and other key stakeholders,” said Jared Blum, AHPBC Steering Committee member and Sustainability Counselor to the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association.

The AHPBC, which represents more than 40 organizations in the building and construction sector, voiced confidence that the new commitment to a stakeholder-driven LEED development process will help create the next paradigm shift in green building quality, resiliency and sustainability.

“Working with key stakeholders is essential to USGBC and the LEED process. Our recent discussions have been driven to solutions-oriented outcomes that expand USGBC’s commitment to robust stakeholder outreach, enhance our consensus process and continue the evolution of the green building and sustainability movement,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President & CEO of USGBC. “USGBC is committed to improving our communities and providing a sustainable and resilient built environment, which will in turn drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the marketplace.”

In the future, both organizations are committed to working together to engage in vigorous multi-stakeholder discussions so that the LEED rating system development process is collaborative and improves the quality and resiliency of green buildings.