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AGC Hosts Real Estate and Construction Group to Discuss Climate Change Impacts on Industry

AGC Wednesday hosted a meeting of real estate and construction stakeholders to discuss the impacts of legislative and regulatory efforts to regulate U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary and mobile sources on the industry.  The meeting is the second AGC has convened with this group in the topic of climate change. At the meeting, AGC's CEO Steve Sandherr presented a discussion draft of guiding principles for climate change legislation for the real estate and construction industries and related groups to provide the framework for stakeholders interested in forming a coalition on this issue.  The draft document states concern that "new federal legislation and/or regulations intended to control GHG emissions could increase the cost of building operations, or otherwise deter new construction and/or the renovation of existing buildings and other facilities." In addition to identifying collective concerns with energy and climate change legislation before Congress and with regulatory efforts by the Obama Administration, the group is also working to identify recommendations for Congress to improve the bill. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) by a vote of 219-212 on June 26.  AGC opposed the measure due to the negative impacts the measure would have on the construction industry.  The Senate is expected to consider its version this fall.