Foundations of LEED 1_2023 - Page 018

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meet the threshold requirements above and provide an opportunity for them to resubmit. If the submitters do not resubmit their proposals for change in compliance with the threshold requirements, staff will eliminate each such proposal for change.

3. Once the Proposal Period is closed and the proposals are collected, the relevant consensus committee shall distribute the proposals, to the extent it believes useful, to the relevant TAG(s) for consideration and recommendations, with a copy to LSC. The consensus committee shall provide a timeframe in which the TAG(s) must respond with a recommendation. All proposals for change that met the Threshold Requirements shall be considered.

4. After a TAG finishes its consideration, it shall forward recommendations concerning all proposals received by it for review to the relevant consensus committee, with a copy to LSC. Proposals shall be aggregated by credit and, for the purpose of establishing recommendations, the TAG shall consolidate and address similar proposals together. The recommendations shall be specific and shall accept, reject or accept as modified the credit(s) at issue. Accompanying each recommendation shall be a rationale, including the relevant technical reasons, for the recommendation.

5. The relevant consensus committee shall review any recommendations it receives from the TAG(s). The consensus committee may engage the LSC for review of any of the proposals for change and related recommendations.

6. After its review, the consensus committee shall forward the recommendations to the LSC and LSC shall review the recommendations to ensure alignment of the recommendations with the LSC-approved framework. To the extent that the recommendations appear out of alignment with the LSC-approved framework, LSC and the consensus committee shall work together promptly to modify the recommendations so that the recommendations meet the framework.

7. Once LSC is satisfied that the recommendations align with the LSC-approved framework, the consensus committee, together with the LSC, shall then present its recommendation and rationale, including the relevant technical reasons, for the recommendation, for each proposal considered useful to the USGBC Board of Directors for approval. Either portions of a rating system or an entirely new version of a rating system may be presented to the Board.

8. Once the Board approves of the recommendations and rationale, it shall cause the recommendations and rationale, including the relevant technical reasons, to be published for comment, and, upon completion of the remaining steps (including the approval of the Consensus Body), direct opening of the subsequent member ratification. The document set out for public comment shall include responses to the proposals submitted without identifying the name or organization of the proposer; the responses shall aggregate similar proposals by credit.

B. Consensus Committees

1. Consensus committees shall be structured to represent the different technical and market issues involved in the development, implementation, and maintenance of a particular LEED rating system. USGBC shall, from time to time, open a call for persons to serve on each relevant consensus committee related to the LEED rating system under review. Prior to publication of proposed recommended changes to LEED, the Board shall use its best efforts, to the extent practicable, both to achieve balance in each such committee’s membership and to ensure that the groups, as identified below, are represented in the committee’s membership. Best efforts shall be used to assure that a committee’s members from any one such group do not control more than 25% of the voting membership of the committee. The groups shall be as follows (which may be redefined from time to time):

   • Property/building owners (including government), developers, brokers

   • Architectural/engineering firms, specifiers, urban planners, and designers, sustainability consultants

   • Contractors, constructors, project managers, service suppliers, facility operators

   • Product manufacturers and raw material suppliers

   • Building occupants/users, sustainable community advocates, unions

   • Regulation enforcement agencies, standards developers

   • Utilities, energy service companies, insurers, academia, finance, others

2. Each member of a consensus committee shall be identified as being within an interest group. No single interest group shall make up a majority of the committee. If necessary, the USGBC Board shall appoint additional persons to the committee so as to meet appropriate balance.

Foundations of LEED |

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