The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is giving a lift to green-building compliance in the Hurricane Sandy disaster zone.
The massive storm wiped out whole neighborhoods and caused billions in property damage when it came ashore in New Jersey in October 2012. HUD issued a notice in March that $5.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds was being made available to the hardest-hit areas in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland.
Among requirements HUD listed in the lengthy document was that new and reconstructed houses would have to comply with a green-building standard, says Michelle Desiderio of Home Innovation Research Labs, an arm of the National Association of Home Builders. That could include the National Green Building Standard, LEED for Homes, Energy Star, or the Enterprise Green Communities program, she said, although HUD isn’t mandating any particular one.
Community Development Block Grants are allocated to governmental jurisdictions, not individuals. Homeowners seeking money to rebuild would apply to the government agency in their area that’s been authorized to receive grant money.
If you want to have a look at the HUD notice in its entirety, you’ll find it in the Federal Register.
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