HOWARD COUNTY, M.d. — It's a pioneer in governing towards a greener future, though environmental advocates say the changes don't go as far as they had hoped.
Howard County is now the first in Maryland to adopt the latest international building codes with additional requirements focused on renewable energy.
On Monday, the Howard County Council passed the measure after a lengthy meeting that included last-minute amendments and a mid-meeting work session, resulting in only partial victories for advocates.
"When we started this campaign two and a half years ago we had really hoped that tonight would result in having no new fossil fuel buildings, residential or commercial buildings in the county, we didn't get there," environmental advocate Doug Siglin said.
The measures does include requirements for new buildings to be "electric ready", meaning builders must lay the foundation for these options (like solar-ready roofs) if the owner wishes to opt in at some point. These will begin in 60 days.
Two amendments introduced by District 3 Council Member Christiana Rigby delay the implementation of a credit system that favors electric-only requirements until the United States Department of Energy updates its software.
Rigby explained that the county does not have the ability to enforce it as is.
"If we pass something that can't actually be implemented then all we've done is fake like we've made a difference and we should be here making an actual difference," Rigby said.
District 4 Council Member Deb Jung, who's supported the measure in nearly its entirety, expressed concern about the uncertainty of the timeline and voted against them.
“I personally think that’s ridiculous," Siglin said about the last-minute changes. "I'm not an expert in compliance with energy codes but I think if the council passed a bill that said we’re going to save more energy in our commercial and residential buildings then the county building department would need to figure out how to implement it."
Though, he did give kudos to lawmakers for even tackling the issue when there's a "bad political environment" for addressing climate change initiatives.
While some felt it didn't go far enough, others felt
the adoption of the codes crossed a line.
Joshua Palagyi, a licensed builder, voiced concerns about affordability. All the costs associated with the new requirements, he says, will be passed along to the consumer.
"I have nothing against energy efficiency, I do have something against making home building unaffordable," Palagyi said.
The two amendments that caused him most concern did not pass.
Another late-filed amendment created an exception for restaurants, spearheaded by District 5 Council Member David Yungmann, who was the only member to vote against the entire motion.
"We've just got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot prioritizing these 'let's set an example for everyone else' issues over the big issues like jobs and affordability," Yungmann said.
It also comes at a time when Maryland is experiencing an energy crisis.
In the meantime, this may be the last time the advocates of "Electrify Howard County" who have showed at meetings in their neon green shirts will show face, at least for now.
"I don't think we came out exactly where we wanted to come out, but we'll be back in three years," Siglin said.
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