State House Rep Brian Sims Pushes Bill to Create Tax Credits for Green Development

Sustainable building project by LPMG Companies, ReNewbold.

Walk around Northern Liberties in the blocks adjacent to the Piazza or South Philadelphia in Point Breeze and a clear trend is evident: new energy-efficient homes are popping up in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. The Nutter Administration, local sustainable businesses and community organizations across the city have celebrated and even supported these new additions–but what about lawmakers in Harrisburg?

State Rep. Brian Sims, representative of the 182nd Legislative District in Philadelphia County, and Sen. Matt Smith are pushing for legislation that would create tax credits for green manufacturing, housing development, and sustainable retrofits and maintenance. The bills are being called the “Sustainable Development and Manufacturing Tax Credit Package.”

From a press release from the PA House of Representatives:

• House Bill 2256/Senate Bill 221 – The High Performance Building Tax Credit would provide a base tax credit of $35,000 to residential and commercial owners or tenants toward either the construction of a green building or significant retrofit on a conventional building into a green building.
• House Bill 2257/Senate Bill 238 – The Energy Star Rated Product Manufacturing Tax Credit would provide a tax credit of up to 20 percent on capital operation and maintenance costs associated with the manufacturing of these products.
• House Bill 2259/Senate Bill 240 – The Energy Star Rated Glass or Window Technologies Tax Credit would provide a tax credit of up to 20 percent on capital operation and maintenance costs associated with the manufacturing of these products.
• House Bill 2261/Senate Bill 239 – The Green Roof Tax Credit would incentivize the building and maintenance of green roofs with a tax credit up to one-quarter of the construction and maintenance costs of the roof for up to six years.

Sims discusses the legislation in a video from the PA House Democrats:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XeLZtDZdBI&w=560&h=315]

Image via LPMG Companies