Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire

Signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) April 8, Senate Bill 5509 makes Washington the first state in the nation to enact a mandate for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for public buildings.

The law requires K-12 schools, universities and other public buildings to be built consistent with the U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards for energy efficiency and environmental innovation. Some say Senate Bill 5509 has the potential to spur more energy-efficient construction by the private sector, which has so far been eclipsed by municipalities in terms of green building certification.

“We will have a greater pool of well-trained architects and contractors who know how to implement these sustainable standards,” said Stan Bowman, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Washington Council, a national trade group for architects.

Washington’s law requires all new state buildings bigger than 5,000 square feet meet USGBC’s LEED Silver certification. The point system takes into account a building’s materials, lighting, heating and cooling systems, water efficiency, landscaping, emissions’ reductions and other innovative building elements.

Washington's law was modeled after the City of Seattle¹s 2000 green building policy, which calls for new city-funded buildings or renovations to meet LEED Silver standards. Other U.S. cities, including Chicago and Austin, Texas, have pioneered similar legislation.

In November 2004, pursuant to former Oregon Gov. Kulongoski's Executive Order on Sustainability, Oregon's Department of Administrative Services issued a similar green building policy. Oregon's mandate does not require third-party certification, but it does require the equivalent of LEED Silver for all new construction and major renovations of state buildings, including those in the unviversity system. Project teams are also supposed to include a LEED-certified professional.

LEED buildings carry a cost premium of 1 to 5 percent more than conventional building, according to some estimates. But costs will be recovered and lessened in the long term due to energy savings and increased worker productivity, according to the law's proponents.