| April 9, 2007 |
By Brian Catalde
NAHB President and
Jerry Howard
NAHB Executive VP and CEO |
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The EPA has to do a better job in the area of climate change,
and must better explain its reasons for not regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles, according to a U.S. Supreme Court decision this week. The ruling, which places authority and responsibility for regulating carbon dioxide from automobiles squarely in EPA's domain under the Clean Air Act, could have significant repercussions for our industry in the years ahead.
 While the Bush Administration and EPA have so far declined to expand the regulatory universe to include such emissions, the high court did not agree with the reasons cited by the agency for its inaction. A slim majority of Justices said that "harms associated with climate change are serious and well recognized," and in fact the EPA itself did not dispute the existence of a causal link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. While the Court did not order the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles, it said that the agency has acted arbitrarily because it "offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change."
The bottom line is, there is now a much greater likelihood that automobile emissions linked to global warming will one day be regulated by the federal government. While the effects on industry are yet to be seen, it stands to reason that they could be considerable – particularly with regard to additional regulatory requirements and costs for new development. Whether this will translate to additional regulations on construction equipment on the building site, on cars traveling to and from a new subdivision, or other mandates, the latest Supreme Court decision lays the foundation for major regulatory reforms that could encompass residential construction. Contact: Tom Ward (x8230).
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Solidifying NAHB's partnership with the NAACP,
our organizations recently hosted a roundtable discussion with other industry groups on housing affordability, and together prepared for a joint symposium on this subject in the fall. NAACP Interim President and CEO Dennis Hayes joined NAHB President Brian Catalde in leading the discussion, which was a critical first step in determining how to move the affordable housing issue from a policy discussion at the national level to a movement that can make a real difference in the lives of American families. Representatives from Enterprise Community Partners, Independent Community Bankers of America, Local Initiatives Support Corp., the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the National Association of Realtors and the National Housing Conference also participated in the event. Discussions ranged from the subprime lending issue to the production of affordable rental housing, and from weak federal housing programs to local zoning practices. All agreed that the shortage of affordable housing will grow worse without concerted action by both public and private sector institutions. Such actions might include providing effective deterrents to predatory lending, creating land banks that make lots available for housing, generating broad-based consumer education efforts and revitalizing the Federal Housing Administration, to give just a few examples of ideas mentioned during the roundtable. Read more in our press release, or contact Blake Smith, x8583.
NAHB Member Benefit: NAHB's partnership with the powerfully influential NAACP is aimed at advancing the shared goals of both our organizations, particularly with regard to expanding the supply of workforce housing and improving housing affordability. Together, we can fight in the political, regulatory and litigation arenas for greater fairness in the way that land use is governed by state and local authorities for purposes of expanding housing opportunities.
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April is New Homes Month,
and the perfect time to ramp up the spring home buying season using marketing resources and consumer education materials from NAHB.
 Our New Homes Month Kit is available online at www.nahb.org/newhomesmonth. In it you'll find consumer articles, print advertisements, a New Homes Month Proclamation and other resources that HBAs and their members can use to promote the benefits of homeownership, get the word out about upcoming home shows, and encourage people to check out the advantages of today's buyers' market. NAHB's Public Affairs Area can help answer any questions you may have about the New Homes Month kit or how to use it to bring positive attention to the home building industry in your community. Contact: Niki Clark, x8061.
NAHB Member Benefit: NAHB produces free resources aimed at helping our HBAs and members attract positive attention to their markets. In turn, this positive attention can generate news coverage, which may spur even greater interest among buyers. Your membership gives you free access to these materials as well as the experts who produce them.
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Half of all new homes will be "green" by 2010
 according to a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction last year and highlighted at the recent NAHB National Green Building Conference. Findings indicated that between 40 and 50% of homes built in that year will contain at least three of five green building elements, compared to just 2% of the residential construction market last year. The survey also revealed that 63% of green home buyers last year said their purchases were motivated by the lower operating and maintenance costs that come with energy- and resource-efficient homes, and that 85% registered greater satisfaction with their new green homes than with their previous, traditionally built ones.
Speaking at the National Green Building Conference, NAHB Vice President/Secretary Bob Jones explained that the national movement toward environmentally sensitive construction will be hastened by the arrival of the first-ever green building standard that is now being developed by NAHB and the International Code Council. This standard will be based on NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which are a proven, rigorous, yet very flexible means of allowing builders to create green building programs and build great homes across the country. See a list of the building professionals that have been selected to sit on the ANSI National Green Building Standard Committee on the NAHB Research Center's Web site. The first meeting of this group is scheduled for April 19-20 at the National Housing Center. Contact: Calli Schmidt, x8132.
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NAHB's Spring Construction Forecast Conference
is the place to be on April 26 if you want to hear what some of our country's foremost economists have to say about the direction and future prospects of housing markets nationwide. Panels of nationally recognized experts will discuss the national outlook, regional projections, the "view from Wall Street" and the outlook for house prices, among other subjects. Among those participating as panelists will be NAHB's own Chief Economist, David Seiders, as well as Mark Zandi from Moody's Economy.com, Jim Glassman from JP Morgan Chase and Eric Belsky from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Get more information and register for the conference online, or contact the Office of the Registrar at x8338. Alternatively, if you can't attend the conference in person but would like to participate via our live Webcast, simply visit www.nahb.org/cfcwebcast. This is also a good channel from which to retrieve information from the event after it has taken place. The Webcast purchase price of $250 includes unlimited acess to the Webcast archive for three months, as well as electronic copies of the conference handout and presentation material. Contact: Steve Melman, x8245.
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Our most important grassroots lobbying event of the year
is the Spring Legislative Conference on Wednesday, June 6, and it's worth your while to be there. This annual event provides an ideal opportunity for association members like you to share their concerns on housing-related issues with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and to urge the politicians who represent you to support policies that will keep the economy moving forward and get housing back on track. The timing of this year's legislative conference is particularly significant considering the current shakeout in the subprime mortgage sector and its potential repercussions in the housing market. Especially in these challenging times, your participation can make a huge difference as various interest groups compete to push their agendas in Washington. A strong builder turnout on June 6 will certainly send a powerful message to members of Congress that housing MUST remain a top national priority! You can get more information and find out how to register online, or contact Jessica Boyce at x8334.
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Gearing up for National Membership Day on May 22,
 NAHB is looking to break all previous records with your help and that of our terrific sponsor, Whirlpool. Last year, local associations recruited 9,550 new members, which was far above any previous National Membership Day drive. This year, our membership analysts predict that our recruitment efforts could generate more than 10,000 new members. Our guiding theme, "Leaders of the Pack," will be a prominent part of the day's Webcast, which will be broadcast live from the National Housing Center in Washington, DC from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., EST. Members can access the Webcast on the NAHB Web site, www.nahb.org. Individual recruiters who sign up three or more builder or associate members – or six new council members – or a combination equaling six new member Spike credits – are eligible to win a great "Grill and Chill Travel Cooler." This year, local and at-large council members count toward Spike credits and, as always, Spike credits are doubled in May. Read more at www.nahb.org/MembershipDay or contact the NAHB Membership Team at x8337.
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Another reminder: "Buy Now" ad assistance...
If your local HBA is currently engaged in a print, radio or television ad campaign, or if you are planning such a campaign, have your association apply for a “Buy Now” matching advertising assistance grant from NAHB. HBAs from around the country have already applied and begun to receive their assistance funds. To date, 38 local associations have applied for advertising assistance grants from the $1 million to be awarded during the first phase of the program, and $932,429 has been approved. The total benefit of the campaigns is $3.5 million. Another $2 million will be made available if the program is successful, and HBAs are encouraged to apply now.
NAHB launched the multi-million dollar grant program last month to assist local home builders associations in their efforts to bolster home sales in markets hit hard by the current housing downturn and help offset the cost of local ad campaigns. To qualify for grants, the ads must deliver a “buy now” message, be placed in 2007 and conducted in markets that have experienced a major decline in home sales and housing production. Learn more about the program, eligibility considerations and requirements online, or call Niki Clark at x8061.
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