The American Institute of Architects issued the following statement on the fiscal 2012 budget President Obama presented to Congress this morning.
"The President's budget, in effect, increases the value of investment in energy conservation in commercial buildings by roughly $1 billion," stated Clark Manus, FAIA, AIA 2011 President. "That represents a significant increase from the current tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot now on the books and is an increase for which the AIA has been advocating in order to encourage energy conservation. Energy conservation isn't a political agenda but rather a sound policy that can save money and resources, ultimately making the US less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
The President's budget also launches a new loan guarantee program to increase financing opportunities for universities, schools, and hospitals and creates a $100 million 'Race to Green' competition for State and municipal governments to implement innovative approaches to building codes, standards, and performance measures.
While we still have much of the budget to analyze, we think the Better Buildings initiative contained in the budget represents a major step forward in implementing policies for which the AIA has been advocating for some time.
We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to make these budget proposals a reality."