Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reaffirmed its commitment to the development of ASHRAE Standard 189.1 P, which will be America's first National Standard developed to be used as a green building code when completed. Created specifically for adoption by states, localities, and other building code jurisdictions that are ready to require a minimum level of green building performance for all commercial buildings, Standard 189.1 P is being developed as an ANSI standard under ASHRAE's leadership, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council and IESNA.

"As green building goes mainstream, government leaders are asking for tools that set minimum standards for green building said Jason Hartke, director of Advocacy and Public Policy, USGBC. "And Standard 189 will be an important part of that toolkit."

Leading cities including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles require most commercial buildings to reach LEED Silver; earlier this year, the State of California authored and adopted a state-wide green building code.

Doubts about the future of Standard 189.1 P were raised in late October by ASHRAE's decision to reconstitute the volunteer committee responsible for the development of the green building code. While rebuilding the committee will mean delays, USGBC remains confident in the quality of the final result.

Brendan Owens, VP of LEED Technical Development, USGBC, and a member of the Standard 189.1 P elaborated: "USGBC is deeply committed to our work with ASHRAE and to the integrity of the standard's content. Creating a national green building code is imperative to our mission of market transformation, and we will be 100 percent engaged to make sure it delivers on that promise."

For more information, visit www.usgbc.org and www.ashare.org.