"Twenty trade groups representing the plastics, vinyl and chemical industries are lobbying to stop the General Services Administration from adopting proposed new standards for green building construction, saying the changes could eliminate the use of hundreds of their products in construction projects."

"The new standards — proposed by the U.S. Green Building Council, which sets the rating system for green construction known as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) — include a “chemical avoidance” provision that industry groups said will discourage builders from using materials that contain certain chemicals.

Those products could include heat-reflecting roofing membranes, PVC piping and foam insulation — all of which promote energy efficiency, said Keith Christman, managing director of plastics markets at the American Chemistry Council, one of the trade groups opposing the proposed standards."

Catherine Ho reports for the Washington Post June 24, 2012. [2]