USGBC releases April advocacy and policy highlights
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) engages in advocacy across the state, local and federal level for green building initiatives and decarbonization policies.
On a local level, the Denver Regional Council of Governments launched a Building Policy Collaborative (BPC) to support local governments in the Denver, Colorado, metro area in advancing and implementing coordinated building decarbonization policies and codes. The BPC is a five-year program funded by a federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant.
On the Federal level, on April 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rescinded the 2024 adoption of updated energy efficiency standards for HUD- and USDA-financed housing, which established the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2019 as the minimum code requirements. The departments will revert to the outdated 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standards for covered housing programs.
Additionally, the fiscal year 2027 appropriations process began in April with the release of the president’s budget request and was followed by a series of budget hearings in the House and Senate. The president’s budget request and budget hearings have provided little insight into how EPA and DOE will carry out the transition of ENERGY STAR to DOE, or how the program will be funded or staffed. DOE’s budget request makes no mention of ENERGY STAR, while EPA’s request provides for just one full-time equivalent employee to support the program, while it will be administered by DOE. The March 3 agreement between EPA and DOE outlined that a detailed transition plan would be agreed to by the agencies within 90 days, which is June 1.
On a state level, 28 state legislatures are in regular session as of April 27. Since the beginning of the 2026 legislative cycle, USGBC has reviewed 461 bills that could impact the green building industry by proposing changes to building codes, energy efficiency standards, incentive programs and related policies.
