BETHESDA, MD – The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) questioned the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) commitment to a consensus-based approach in the development of its LEED rating system and as a result urged the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to not recommend it as the green certification standard for the federal government.

“While USGBC might argue it follows the federal government’s requirements for a consensus-base organization, it is clear by its random approach to making revisions to the recent LEED 2012 proposal that it lacks commitment to openness and due process,” said Mark Collatz, ASC’s Director of Government Relations.

As part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, GSA is required to evaluate green building certification systems every five years to identify a system “deemed to be the most likely to encourage an environmentally sound approach to certification of green buildings.” The listening session was part a year-long process to gather input from the public and stakeholders that will contribute to the decision-making process.

“The danger in endorsing LEED as the single acceptable green building rating system for the federal government is it can lead to the USGBC’s further monopolization in these types of programs. GSA must foster competition and give full consideration to other rating systems such as the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes program, which is an ANSI-accredited standard,” said Collatz.

Collatz also pointed out that GSA is reviewing USGBC’s LEED 2009 rating system, but if the proposed LEED v.4 is adopted, the agency must immediately institute a new review given the expected breadth of the changes.