Open forum: Not a ‘distraction’

In doing so, The Gazette ridicules the County Council’s commitment to the environment, criticizes us for being ‘‘distracted” from our real responsibilities, and joins the Bush administration and other climate change deniers in arguing that government should stand back and allow ‘‘market forces” to achieve our environmental objectives. It is The Gazette, not the County Council, that occupies the extreme fringe in this debate.

The council celebrated Earth Day the right way. We passed seven laws that comprehensively address the major contributors to climate change — transportation, power plants, land use decisions and buildings — through a mix of incentives and mandates that will result in less energy being consumed and more renewable power being utilized. The package maintains the county’s rightful place as a national leader in the environmental movement, promotes a green economy, and helps homeowners struggling with utility bills. This work is not a distraction from our real responsibilities — it is at the heart of our responsibility to foster a sustainable community.

Under the leadership of my colleague George Leventhal, the last council required all new commercial buildings to meet national green standards. This council turned its attention to the residential sector, which is operating under county standards that were last modified in 2003. The state-of-the-art energy efficiency standard for new residential construction is EPA’s Energy Star program. It represents a 15 percent to 30 percent increase in energy efficiency over the current standard, and, once implemented, will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 7,000 tons a year.

The price of a new, detached, single family home in Montgomery County averages $1.1 million. County staff estimated that compliance with the tougher standards would add $2,000 to $3,000; builders estimated $10,000 to $20,000, figures that included a full profit margin. Regardless of which number you believe, the fact is that the benefit of lower utility bills — saving approximately $1,000 a year for a typical new home in the county — more than offsets the small increase in monthly mortgage payments resulting from Energy Star.

There is no question that the national economic recession and credit crunch has made this a particularly difficult time for home builders. The legislation passed by the council responsibly took these conditions into account by adding an additional year for compliance and providing an ‘‘off ramp” if the executive branch comes up with a proposal that could achieves comparable residential energy savings at less cost to consumers.

The Gazette’s bottom line argument that market forces, ‘‘not a legislative billy club,” should be sufficient to achieve our environmental objectives is unworthy of this paper. We are where we are today precisely because of the failure of such a hands-off approach. Just as we regulate the fuel efficiency of our cars, we must do a better job of regulating the energy efficiency of our homes. And we have.

The quality of life in Montgomery County is inextricably linked to our environment. I am proud of the work of our ‘‘Green Machine” council on global warming, and I believe the overwhelming majority of our residents are too. It’s time for The Gazette to catch up.

Roger Berliner, a Democrat from Potomac, represents District 1 on the County Council.