South Carolina Limits the Use of LEED v4 Green Building Rating System

On April 7, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) signed into law a bill that restricts the use of the LEED green building rating system. Since 2007, South Carolina required state-funded building projects to achieve LEED Silver or Green Globes certification. Originally a proposed ban on LEED, the final bill, H3592, allows local manufacturers that would now not qualify for certain credits under LEED v4 to still partake in government-funded green building projects. Under the signed law, a state committee can now dismiss LEED credits that are deemed to be "unnecessary". Anti-LEED proponents argue that LEED imposes unnecessary negative impacts on manufacturing industries, specifically the MR rating credit for building product disclosure and optimization credit that requires material ingredient reporting. The bill also advocates preference for the use of materials such as wood, masonry, plastics, textiles, concrete and steel that are produced within the state.

The American High-Performance Buildings Coalition (AHPBC), an organization formed by multiple chemical companies such as the American Chemistry Council, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and the Vinyl Institute have openly opposed the integration of LEED standards in the Southeast. In 2013, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas saw anti-LEED state-level policies introduced for debate. 

Click here for details of the law or contact NRMCA's Tien Peng at 206-913-8535 or tpeng@nrmca.org.