Green buildings are not new. The Anasazi built entire villages so that they would get solar heat.

But Bend may ensure more buildings will be built green with what’s called a Reach Code. The city of Bend plans to push again in the 2022 legislative session for the state to adopt a building code that would allow Bend and other cities to require greener buildings. The goal: more energy efficiency and fewer emissions.

The city lobbied for the Reach Code in the 2021 session. Bend’s Environmental Center pushed for it. Amy Warren, who is the director and cofounder of Bend’s Kôr Community Land Trust, which builds energy efficient affordable housing, pushed for it. And so did others.

Pushing against it were Northwest Natural Gas, the natural gas company, some builders and unions.

The new bill might be something like House Bill 2398 from 2021. In that bill, it was an optional building development code above and beyond what is currently required. The Reach Code would be uniform. It’s just that municipalities could choose if they wanted to adopt it. The requirement was that the Reach Code would mandate achievement of not more than 90% of site energy use than other state codes for commercial and residential buildings.

Supporters backed it because it’s another piece of the puzzle in making Oregon greener. It could create increased energy efficiency in homes across the spectrum of housing. And a more energy efficient home is more affordable to live in.

Opponents didn’t like it, in part, because it could create an odd patchwork in Oregon where some cities would have the Reach Code and others would not. Building to different standards in different places creates complication and cost. There was also some anxiety expressed about how much input builders would get into developing the Reach Code. Northwest Natural argued on-site energy reduction is not necessarily equal to emissions reduction or costs savings.

Another wrinkle was an Oregon’s Justice Department opinion, based on an early draft of the legislation. The opinion pointed out that a city decoupling itself from the state building code would, in turn, require that the local jurisdiction administer and enforce it. Interpretations of the Reach Codes would be local and not state. State appeals would not be available. An appeal process would also have to become local.

Changes to House Bill 2398 were made after the opinion was issued. It’s not clear to us if those issues were all cleared up. Of course, any new bill submitted in the 2022 session could be written to attempt to smooth over any of those difficulties.

Does Oregon need a Reach Code? Should Bend be pushing for it? Send us a letter to the editor of up to 250 words and tell us what you think.