Green Legal Matters is a national symposium aimed to bring together the best and brightest legal minds to discuss opportunities presented by the green movement, and the legal challenges it presented for folks in the industry.   The conference producers promise a very full 2 days of keynotes, panels and presentations from subject matter experts.

In what is great news for the Louisiana green industry, the industry is hosting its first annual conference in New Orleans between April 26 – 28, 2010.

I’m happy to be among a number of great experts to speak at the conference, and among some attorneys who are good friends of ours from twitter and blogs such as Christopher Hill (who I’ll present with on green litigation), Shari Shapiro and Tim Hughes.

The conference hopes to pull in great attendance based upon its location (New Orleans = greatest city in the world), the time of year (sandwiched between the two weekends of New Orleans Jazz Festival) and a line-up of very significant speaks including:

• New Orleans Mayor Elect, Mitch Landrieu
• James Carville, political consultant
• Susan Dorn, General Counsel of US Green Building Council
• Roberta Lang, General Counsel, Whole Foods
• Steve Harmon, Sr. Director Legal Services, Cisco

If you’d like to learn more about the conference, or to register to attend, please visit www.greenlegalmatters.com.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded TIGER Grants last week to cities across the country, funding projects that “foster job creation, show strong economic benefits, and promote communities that are safer, cleaner and more livable.”    New Orleans shared in the pie of funding, getting a $45 million grant to pay the full cost of a new streetcar line to run along Loyola Avenue, reaching from Canal Street to the Union Passenger Terminal.

Nola.com reports that RTA hopes to have the streetcar line up and running within 2 years.

In addition to the $45 million in federal funding, RTA is hoping to make a “French Quarter Loop” through local investment.

While much of the focus here has been on the development of retail establishments along the streetcar line, here are some benefits we see:

• $45 – $115 Million investment into building the new lines;
• Increasing alternative transportation options for residents and tourists (including transportation to the train station)
• Additional step for New Orleans towards more sustainable practices

Congratulations to RTA and the team working on the TIGER Grant.

Earlier this year, I attended a seminar promoted by the Louisiana Chapter of the USGBC with guest speaker John Moore from the New Orleans Office of Environmental Affairs.    Under the Nagin administration, this office has taken a bit of a beating, getting separeted and consolidated from other departments so often…they haven’t even had time to finish their website!

The election of Mitch Landrieu as Mayor of New Orleans shows promise for this department, and is good news for any New Orleanian interested in the green building industry.

Glassboth.org, a neat web organization that publishes candidates views on certain issues, had a survey filled out for Mitch during the election.   Here are his answers on Environmental and Sustainability issues.

Mitch supports:

• City-funded recycling program
• Expanding the role of the City’s Office of Environmental Affairs to include issues of sustainability
• Supporting municipal carbon footprint regulations to control local CO2 emissions
• Requiring all public buildings to meet LEED Standards
• Implementation of the City’s plan for sustainable redevelopment called GreenNola

All good news for Mr. Moore and the team working on GoGreenNola.com.   And for Louisiana companies who build green.

The New Orleans Times Picayune reported that a group of scientist have written to Gov. Bobby Jindal urging him to take greenhouse gases more seriously.  The group linked the state’s eroding coastline with greenhouse gases produced by the state’s industries, aruging that if something isn’t done soon, much of New Orleans will erode away.

This story underscores an often overlooked issue.

While we spend a great deal of time on this blog talking about what green initiatives are being taken by Louisiana (mostly in the green building sector), we forget how uncommon and unpopular green building and green initiatives actually are.

Louisiana has a smaller number of LEED APs and LEED projects than most any other state, and while our local governments are trying to structure green incentives, we’re behind many other cities and states.  In large part, green building isn’t widespread in these neck of the woods.

This call to Gov. Jindal, however, is another effort to get the green sector in Louisiana moving, and in theory, the moss will continue to accrue.

Just before Christmas, the Wall Street Journal published an article about how “Green Builders [are] Awaiting The Green.”

The article simply reminded us (and builders across the country) that the General Services Administration had until the end of 2009 to allocate $2 billion for green building construction projects.   And another $3.5 billion is waiting for distribution in 2010, as per the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

That’s the good news for green buildings.

The bad news?   The GSA is having trouble spending  the money.

The excuse is legitimate.  First, public projects generally move slower than private ones, and the slow movement on projects has resulted in most GSA funded projects being stuck in planning phases, leading to low-spending.   Second, bids are coming in lower than expected.

While this spells bad news for public contractors in 2009…it is a relief that 2009 is over (and good riddance).   The GSA has some extra cash burning a whole in its pocket, and more money to spend.   Hopefully, these public projects will get underway and more green building will ensue…and that it will happen in Louisiana.

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• Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label (nytimes.com)

You’ve heard all the praise about hybrid vehicles over the past 12-24 months…but did you hear the news from CAT this Christmas?

Yesterday, CAT delivered its first “Hybrid” bulldozer.   The dozer is a hybrid diesel-electric vehicle, that reportedly increases fuel efficiency by 25%.   More than that, CAT reports that the D7E should be more product, require less maintenance, and be all-around better for a company’s bottom line.

The savings in fuel and maintenance and increased productivity is offset by the machine’s price, which is approximately 20% more than the non-hybrid line.  CAT, however, promises that the machine will pay for itself in 2 – 2.5 years.

Check out the D7E website, where you can read more about the product, view its specs, watch videos and more.

Investing so much into construction machinery like a bulldozer is definity not something we run across everyday.   These machines take such a beating, and they are so inefficient as a matter of rule…that it seems counter-intuitivie to have an “efficient” bulldozer.   CAT, though, sees potential benefit in this offering, and perhaps it is something for your company to review.

If you are an equipment lessor, imagine the savings you can have if your maintenance costs were decreased?  How much more could you charge to clients with the promise of fuel savings?

If you’re a contractor with your own dozers, it’s a no-brainier if the efficiencies and productivity match CAT’s testing.   While a bit pricy at first, you’ll reap the rewards quicky.

And you’re saving the world, too.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® has recently released the newest in its line of guidebooks. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the foremost authority in green building construction, conservation and sustainability.

Then new guide book is entitled “Green Office Guide: Integrating LEED Into Your Leasing Process” It is a comprehensive guide on how to incorporate green building techniques into the landlord / tenant contractual relationship.

Previously LEED has published guidebooks covering green new construction, renovations and other construction areas. This is the first time they have ventured into the lease contract. This guidebook can be very beneficial for those landlords who want to require tenants uphold green standard when occupying a property.

Katie Rothenberg, of the Green Building Council comments on the guidebook: “It is written to provide critical background content as well as functional tools (including lease language and site selection checklists) that can be used throughout the transaction.”

So if you are a tenant, whether it be your home or business, or a landlord and sustainable, renewable, green practices are what you are looking for then this guide book can be found at the Council’s website.

It’s official:   New Orleans has the winning bid for Superbowl 2013.

The announcement came just weeks ago when the NFL owners agreed to provide the Crescent City with its 10th Superbowl, and represents a huge step forward for the city rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

The Superbowl award, however, brings more to South Louisiana than excitement.   The state and individual municipalities are already laying the groundwork for public projects to properly usher in the country’s biggest event – an example of which is embedded directly into the city’s Superbowl bid, whereby state leaders pledged a pre-game $85 million investment into the Superdome.

Perhaps the high-profile event will be an additional opportunity for Louisiana to build green – especially in light of 2009 state legislation designed to attract green technology and start-ups to the state.    Stay tuned.

Governor Bobby Jindal signed two Green Building bills into law this July 2009.

The first, Act 348, authorizes the creation of sustainable energy financing districts and was authored by Senator Nick Gautreaux.    The second, ACT 520, authorizes a tax credit for certain green job industries, and was authored by Representative Walt Leger.

The two acts provide green building contractors and businesses, and the purchasers of those products and services, some of the most beneficial tax incentives in the nation.   The new laws also help Louisiana hold its ground in the national green building boom.

Act 348 – Gautreaux (LA R.S. 33:130.790 – 793)

The digest of Act 348 only scratches the surface for the green building opportunities created by this act.    Here is the official summary for the Act:

Authorizes creation of sustainable energy financing districts by local governmental subdivisions and provides for issuance of bonds and property assessment programs for solar and energy efficiency projects.

The effect of this act, in plain english, is to allow local governments and subdivisions to incur debt for the purposes of providing these “energy financing districts” with necessary funds to cover the cost of energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy improvements.

These loans are made directly by the district to the home or property owner, and can be paid back over a twenty year period.   Property owners can even make arrangements to pay back loans through its payment of annual property taxes.

On July 7, 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal caused Act 348 to become law.  Time will tell whether local government subdivisions will take advantage of the new law and start offering loans to homeowners and property owners who are interested in making green building improvements to their properties.

If these loans become available, and used, it could lead to an enormous amount of green building projects throughout Louisiana.   Read the full text of Act 348

Act 520 – Leger (La R.S. 47:6035)

According to the New Orleans’ Times Picayune article on Act 520, the tax credit system created by this proposal is similar to the  tax credits offered to filmmakers in Louisiana.   State Representative Walt Leger hopes to lure green businesses to Louisiana through the same trick that helped coin New Orleans’ “Broadway South.”

The tax credits are explained in the Times Picayune Article as follows:

Working on a tiered system that offers 10 percent to 25 percent, based on how much companies spend, the tax credit applies to the start-up costs of a new green business as well as to the payroll of each new green job…As defined in the bill, green jobs and industries can include a wide range of potential businesses, including renewable energy services, green building and construction, weatherization, energy rating, biofuels, energy-efficient transportation, deconstruction and green product manufacturers.

The potential reach of the new legislation – known as the Louisiana Green Jobs Initiative – is wide.

With the post-Katrina construction silver lining, the injection of stimulus cash, and the national (and local) green building boom…Louisiana’s Green Market may be in for a perfect storm in 2009 and 2010.

Read full text of Act 520.

Last week, the New Orleans’ Times Picayune ran an article about a green housing program being launched this month in Mandeville, Louisiana, providing more evidence that “green building” efforts in Louisiana are growing.

According to the article, Mandeville is the third Louisiana community to participate in the “EnviRenew” program from the Salvation Army, with the first and second communities being Broadmoor and Riverview.

On their website, EnviRenew defines its mission as follows:

Envirenew, is a comprehensive strategy for community renewal. It is doing the most good in our neighborhoods and for the future of our city.

The program will build 20-25 homes in the Mandeville area, with each costing approximately $200,000, and each qualifying for LEED certification.   It will be an excellent opportunity for contracts with green experience to work on LEED projects, and for inexperienced green builders to participate on a project undergoing the certification process.