In This Issue:

Obama aims to sweeten retrofit incentives; GREEN BUILDING FOCUS - Please Take Our Green Building Survey!; Ruling may stall cap & trade in CA; Study: higher productivity in LEED buildings; Green is cheaper, more efficient in 2011; California bans 100-watt incandescent bulbs; USGBC revises LEED certification language; USGBC appoints new chairman; Preventing solar panel wind uplift; USGBC / Green-Building.com's real-life LEED program; Report: BIM helps meet new green building practices; Appraisal Institute launches valuation program for green buildings; InterContinental's entire portfolio earns LEED - VP; Is NC LEED Silver building an energy hog?; GREEN BUILDING PROJECTS - California neighborhood earns LEED Platinum; UC Davis' LEED Platinum wine and beer facility; La Jolla office building earns LEED-EB Platinum; Sacramento restaurant first in city to earn LEED Silver; MGM Resorts lauded for sustainability; Clif Bar's installs largest smart solar array; and San Antonio home earns top energy-efficiency rating.

Obama aims to sweeten retrofit incentives

White House - Feb 3

Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative (BBI) aims to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20% by 2020. If passed, the BBI hopes to save building owners $40 billion in reduced energy costs, reduced dependence on foreign oil and reduced air pollution. To sweeten the deal, the BBI proposes aggressive incentives including...