The North Carolina House of Representatives voted last week on a bill that would ban the use of the LEED green building rating system on public projects. House Bill 628 would insert new language in a section of state law that calls for energy- and water-use standards for major public facility construction and renovation projects.

The bill — titled Protect/Promote NC Lumber — says those projects may use "a nationally recognized high-performance environmental building rating system” if that green building program doesn’t use a credit system “disadvantaging materials or products manufactured or produced” in North Carolina.

“It’s not calling LEED by name,” Emily Scofield, USGBC-NC executive director, told the Charlotte Business Journal after the bill was introduced. “But it’s anti-LEED.”

But HB628 would require rating programs to award points to wood certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System. Both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System have unsuccessfully fought for consideration in the LEED program.

Members of the state House Committee on Agriculture approved the bill last week Tuesday and House members approved the second reading of the bill in a 78-34 vote the next day. Today, the House will take a final vote on House Bill 628.

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