Builders Fear Cap and Trade Could Slow Green Home Growth

The first few homes in Springfield's first EnergyStar subdivision are almost complete, but builders are already worried that pending legislation known as "cap and trade" will be a barrier to future projects.

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Some Springfield builders don't want any new government regulations forcing them to do more.
The cap and trade bill that's already cleared the U.S. House includes new national building standards that would require builders to go even further.

"Essentially it transplants the most stringent requirements in the U.S. to the rest of the U.S," Homebuilders Association president Matt Morrow said.

But St. Louis developer Jim Trout argued national standards are needed to produce significant energy savings.

"We know what we can do with houses. We know if we're all doing it next year, it's going to drive the cost down, it'll restore confidence in homebuilding," said Trout, who readily expects building costs to increase by 2 percent. "We're going to have to bite the bullet and make an investment in our future."