This story was originally published by HuffPost and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The private consortium that oversees the model building codes for much of the United States and parts of the Caribbean and Latin America stripped local governments of their right to vote on future energy-efficiency codes earlier this month.
The decision came more than a year after the construction and gas industry groups that wield heavy influence at the International Code Council, or ICC, objected to aggressive new energy codes for which government officials had voted.
The change, though technical and wonky, marks what environmental advocates say is one of the most consequential roadblocks to decarbonizing the U.S. economy. It also illustrates the limits of both the new Biden administration’s powers and the causes for which activists can mobilize public support. Local governments, members of Congress, environmentalists, and architects overwhelmingly opposed the proposal.
Under the new system, the building codes that govern energy systems and insulation ― once subject to a vote by the city an... Read more
