WASHINGTON – American Wood Council (AWC) Vice President, Government Affairs Andrew Dodson issued the following statement regarding the introduction of H.R. 2361 by Reps. Marsha Blackburn (TN) and Kurt Schrader (OR). The bill encourages product neutrality in building energy codes and defines the role of the Department of Energy (DOE) as a technical advisor in the development of model energy codes and subsequent state adoption.

WASHINGTON – The Maryland State Legislature adjourned today for the year without taking action on House Bill 1311 or Senate Bill 722, which intended to prohibit multifamily dwellings above three stories from being constructed using wood-frame construction. American Wood Council (AWC) Northeast Regional Manager Matt Hunter, BCO, along with numerous representatives from building owners, architecture, development, and engineering, testified in opposition of both bills.

WASHINGTON – American Wood Council (AWC) Northeast Regional Manager Matt Hunter, BCO, along with numerous representatives from building owners, architecture, development, and engineering, all testified yesterday in opposition of Maryland House Bill 1311. The bill would prohibit a multifamily dwelling from being constructed using wood-frame construction in jurisdictions exceeding a specified population density. The legislation is a companion to Senate Bill 722.

WASHINGTON – American Wood Council (AWC) Northeast Regional Manager Matt Hunter, BCO, along with numerous representatives from building owners, architecture, development, and engineering, all testified today in opposition of Maryland Senate Bill 722. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Joan Carter Conway, would prohibit a multifamily dwelling from being constructed using wood-frame construction in municipal jurisdictions exceeding a specified population density.

SACRAMENTO – The California Building Standards Commission has voted to approve emergency regulations enhancing the California Building Code (CBC) balcony and walking surface construction requirements. The American Wood Council (AWC) was a proponent of similar balcony code change proposals recently approved for publication in the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) and Existing Building Code (IEBC).

There have been several recent reports on an action taken by a ​Georgia community to ban wood construction in buildings more than three stories in height and larger than 100,000 square feet, an action that unfortunately had no basis in concerns for safety or the environment.

WASHINGTON – The American Wood Council (AWC) is participating in today’s White House Conference on Resilient Building Codes where the Administration, and private and public collaborators will discuss the role of building codes in furthering community resilience, and the economic benefits of resilient design. The event is also hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and coincides with National Building Safety Month.

LEESBURG, VA. – As a major sponsor of the International Code Council’s (ICC) Building Safety Month, the American Wood Council (AWC) will host a complementary four-part Disaster Resistant Wood Frame Construction webinar series in May. AWC is also sponsoring the third week of ICC’s Building Safety Month, “Learn from the Past, Build for Tomorrow.”