November 11, 2025
Sustainability News Updates for Q4 2025
O
ver the course of this year, federal priorities in the United States have shaken up both new sustainability-focused initiatives launched under the last administration as well as longer-term cornerstones established under administrations before that. Meanwhile, most state-level policies have stayed in place or moved forward. The result is a mixed bag for building industry professionals when it comes to driving efficiency, minimizing risk, and advancing sustainability and well-being in their projects. Here are a few examples that show the current state of flux in this country:
PV Sunset
Homeowners who install solar energy have been able to claim tax credits since 2005, when President George W. Bush revived an older program that had been allowed to lapse. But that 20-year subsidy ends at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the EPA has canceled its $7 billion Solar for All program, pulling back $156 million from low-income communities in Michigan and $130 million from Indiana, among other states. Solar power is a cornerstone of the Net Zero movement, which will now have to rely on local incentives or other means to finance our energy transition.
PFAS Pullback
In 2019, the EPA announced an action plan to address the complex issue of cancer-causing “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, in drinking water. Since PFAS chemicals are widely used in building products, the A&D industry can play an important role in their elimination. In fact, many manufacturers have eliminated them in anticipation of upcoming restrictions: Designtex, for example, announced last October that it was a totally PFAS-free company. However, this May, the EPA announced that it will delay enforcement on more stringent limits for two PFAS chemicals in drinking water and will reconsider the limits on four other forever chemicals, lifting regulatory pressure on industry. Public awareness and pressure from motivated manufacturers and specifiers will now have to hold the line.
New York Concrete
Under the state’s Buy Clean Concrete Guidelines, New York’s Low Embodied Carbon Concrete program went live early this year. The codes now mandate a maximum global warming potential (GWP), i.e. a maximum amount of embodied carbon emissions for concrete used in building and transportation projects in New York. With some exceptions for high-strength or quick-curing concrete, concrete mixes used in state projects must have an EPD that shows compliance with the GWP limits.
California Clean
At the start of this year, the Buy Clean California Act took effect, setting GWP limits on structural steel, concrete reinforcing steel, flat glass, and insulation. All public works by state agencies and schools in the University of California and California State University systems will be affected by this policy.
Stellar Support
Alarmed by news reports that the EPA planned to cut funding for its successful Energy Star program, which saves Americans an estimated $40 billion in energy costs each year, a group of 1,000 organizations has banded together in support of the program, including built environment bodies USGBC and the National Association of Home Builders. The fate of the program still hangs in the balance, but the overwhelming bipartisan vote of confidence from industry is an encouraging sign.
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