Not So Rosey Facts About Green Schools

It is amazing how public officials will blindly pass mandates even when evidence is abundant to show their policies will prove costly and counterproductive. My colleague Todd Myers highlights one very good example of such regulatory stupidity in a recent blog post. Washington state officials are mandating green building standards even though  such standards are proving costly to taxpayers around the country because they have raised — rather than lowered — energy usage. Myers explains:

Pointing to a recent television news story, the House Democrats yesterday touted the Washington state law requiring that school buildings meet “green” building standards, claiming “taxpayers pay less for electricity every month.” There are several problems with this claim, however, and stubborn support for this failed law despite the evidence has resulted in less money for schools, an actual increase in energy use and more environmental damage.

Check out the entire post on the Washington Policy Center website.