Faith leaders and tenants urge Montgomery County to finalize BEPS, cite Green Bank aid

Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee Chair Evan Glass convened a Sept. 23 work session that drew faith leaders, tenant organizers and building managers to press the county to finalize Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) regulations while ensuring technical and financing support for smaller institutions.

Faith institutions described long-running commitments to energy upgrades and urged the county to include houses of worship under BEPS and to make needed assistance available. "For us, meeting the BEPS is just a logical extension of our work," said Jill Feasley, a member of the property committee at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, which used Green Bank support and local grants to meet its targets. Joelle Novie of Interfaith Power & Light said houses of worship want to be covered by standards and that the Montgomery County Green Bank's technical-assistance dollars and financing are a "superpower" for congregations seeking to benchmark and finance upgrades.

Why it matters: Committee materials and testimony framed BEPS as part of the county's strategy to cut emissions from buildings, which the chair said make up about 52% of Montgomery County's carbon output. Several congregations and building managers said meeting BEPS is achievable but requires up-front help: Mirila Goldsmith of Adat Shalom said a Level 2 ASHRAE audit typically costs about $8,000–$12,000 and may be subsidized up to roughly 50% by the Green Bank's technical-assistance program.

Testimony and data: Tenant advocates presented air-quality testing results during the session. "We have tested more than 325 homes," said Jamila Tuba of Action in Montgomery, reporting many indoor NO2 readings "three, four times" the EPA outdoor guideline of 100 parts per billion and saying roughly one in three households tested included a child with asthma. Servin Yengo, a tenant organizer, described apartment testing and urged strong performance standards so renters are not left behind.

Practical challenges and cautions: Building managers described different starting points. Walter Weiss of River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation said his congregation improved its Energy Star score from the mid-20s to 67 through audits, insulation, HVAC work and solar power purchase agreements, but noted that many smaller congregations lack staff and technical know-how. Robert Simon, a parishioner at St. Camillus Catholic Church, said two building clusters at his parish remain short of BEPS energy-use-intensity (EUI) targets (one cluster at roughly EUI 50 vs. a composite target of 33.72; the other about 53.7 vs. 41.32). Simon also warned of firms that offer free audits then present unaffordable plans: "They ultimately presented us with a $7,000,000 facilities plan and then refused to share the details of their ASHRAE audit," he said.

County resources and next steps: Committee members pressed witnesses on how to scale help. Novie and others urged continued and sustained Green Bank technical assistance and the creation of centralized information (a hub) on available federal and state rebates. Chair Glass noted recent conversations with the county executive and federal partners about financing — and stated an available Green Bank capital figure in the session — and said the council is exploring options, including bonding the Green Bank, to expand available resources. Department of Environmental Protection staff will continue reviewing the recently released state BEPS regulations to align county implementation.

The work session ended without a formal vote; committee members said they would follow up with congregations and building owners and continue coordinating with the Green Bank, DEP and state and federal partners.