Wicker Calls for Better Green Building Standards for Defense Department on Senate Floor

December 5, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) Tuesday discussed on the Senate Floor an amendment he filed to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help ensure military construction projects avoid unnecessary costs related to third party energy-efficient building standards through increased transparency.

The Department of Defense (DOD) is reviewing outside energy-efficient standards to ensure cost benefit and accuracy in energy savings as it works to implement new guidelines. In the past, some standards used by DOD have discriminated against American wood and other products because of flawed determinations.

In part, Wicker said: “I do appreciate the language that is in the bill now, and I think we will end up with green building standards that save energy and serve the purposes of national defense and don’t tilt toward one industry over the other.”

Click here to watch Senator Wicker’s remarks.

In September, Wicker visited J.T. Shannon Lumber Co. in Horn Lake, Miss. to discuss how some energy-efficient standards are hurting American wood products companies. Read more about his visit here.

For more information on the NDAA which passed yesterday, please click here.

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wicker.senate.gov