Meeting Standards May Not Be Enough In Portland

"Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the carbon fee and inspection requirement would levy taxes upon builders who merely comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the Oregon building code, already one of the most stringent in the nation. It would then pay cash rewards to developers who make buildings that save at least 45 percent more energy than the code requires."

"The plan will go before Portland residents, in hearings, in January. With passage, the carbon-fee rules would be in place by 2010."

"Builders in Portland on Wednesday were already pushing back."

"'There is no way the homebuilders will ever support a mandated program,' said Jim McCauley, vice president of government affairs for the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland. 'This has largely been a totally internal conversation with only select invited parties.'"