JBI
Registered User
Just got this in an e-mail from our local Chapter Secretary...
(There WAS an ICC letterhead, don't know why it didn't paste in...)
November 25, 2009
Dear Members:
As you may know, we worked with Congress and the new Administration in February to include language in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) referencing the adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a basis for receiving State Energy Program (SEP) grants (Section 410).
The language of the law is flexible enough to allow for the very different schedules that states use to adopt new codes. There has been some confusion due to misinformation spread about ARRA requirements. Last month, the Code Council’s Government Relations (GR) staff worked with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Association of State Energy Offices (NASEO), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and others to draft and obtain agreement on a single statement of clarification to explain in simple terms what every state must do—since all state governor’s signed letters agreeing to the terms of the ARRA to receive SEP funds.
DOE has already distributed about 90% of this money to states. The joint statement, including the names of all the endorsing groups, has now been posted on the DOE website at http://www.energycodes.gov/news/arra/section410_statement.stm. We suggest that you reference this statement as a definitive and accurate statement of what the law requires, in all your dealings with state elected and appointed officials, in regard to questions about ARRA requirements.
We are currently working with DOE’s contractor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) on a new comparison document that will provide additional grounding to show that the 2009 IECC provides energy savings equivalent to, or better than the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings, for states wishing to adopt the IECC for both commercial and residential buildings. While DOE will still not make an overall determination of equivalency, DOE will accept the determinations of states wishing to adopt the IECC for both commercial and residential buildings.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions, my extension is 6247.
Regards,
Sara C. Yerkes
Senior Vice President, Government Relations
(There WAS an ICC letterhead, don't know why it didn't paste in...)
November 25, 2009
Dear Members:
As you may know, we worked with Congress and the new Administration in February to include language in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) referencing the adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a basis for receiving State Energy Program (SEP) grants (Section 410).
The language of the law is flexible enough to allow for the very different schedules that states use to adopt new codes. There has been some confusion due to misinformation spread about ARRA requirements. Last month, the Code Council’s Government Relations (GR) staff worked with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Association of State Energy Offices (NASEO), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and others to draft and obtain agreement on a single statement of clarification to explain in simple terms what every state must do—since all state governor’s signed letters agreeing to the terms of the ARRA to receive SEP funds.
DOE has already distributed about 90% of this money to states. The joint statement, including the names of all the endorsing groups, has now been posted on the DOE website at http://www.energycodes.gov/news/arra/section410_statement.stm. We suggest that you reference this statement as a definitive and accurate statement of what the law requires, in all your dealings with state elected and appointed officials, in regard to questions about ARRA requirements.
We are currently working with DOE’s contractor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) on a new comparison document that will provide additional grounding to show that the 2009 IECC provides energy savings equivalent to, or better than the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings, for states wishing to adopt the IECC for both commercial and residential buildings. While DOE will still not make an overall determination of equivalency, DOE will accept the determinations of states wishing to adopt the IECC for both commercial and residential buildings.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions, my extension is 6247.
Regards,
Sara C. Yerkes
Senior Vice President, Government Relations
