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Across the Nation continued...
The MHCC is authorized by
the U.S. Congress to provide the
federal Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD)
with recommendations regarding
manufactured housing construction
standards and related regulations, and
is composed of 21 voting members
representing manufacturers and
retailers, consumers, organizations
with general interests in manufactured
housing, and public officials.
Source: Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)
Energy Efficiency Home Tax
Credit Expired on December
31, 2011
Urge Congress to Act
The federal tax credit for
manufacturers who build energy
efficient homes (Section 45L) expired
on December 31, 2011. After
extending the Social Security payroll
tax cut, unemployment benefits and
Medicare payments to physicians,
Congress adjourned for the holiday
recess. A host of temporary tax
incentives, frequently called “tax
extenders”-including the New Energy
Efficient Tax Credit for manufactured
and modular homes was not included
in the year-end tax deal. Specifically,
manufacturers who build ENERGY
STAR homes are eligible to receive
a $1,000 tax credit while modular
home builders are eligible to receive
a $2,000 tax credit by exceeding the
International Energy Conservation
Code (IECC) by 50 percent.
MHI, along with its broad-based
coalition of energy efficiency and
environmental organizations, housing
associations, public interest groups and
corporations sent letters to Members
of Congress urging them to extend
the New Home Energy Efficient Tax
Credit. Stimulating the economy will
be high on the priority list for Congress.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman
Max Baucus (D-MT) vowed to continue
working in January to extend tax cuts
for individuals and small businesses.
Baucus has been quietly working
with his colleagues and fighting to
find a bipartisan path forward for the
tax extenders, including the research
and development tax credit and jobcreating
clean energy tax incentives.
The House of Representatives
returns to Washington, D.C. on
Tuesday, January 17 th while the Senate
reconvenes on Monday, January 23 rd .
Upon the return of our elected officials,
MHI would like to be well-positioned
to advocate for the passage of the
extension of the ENERGY STAR tax
credit for manufactured and modular
homes.
CMHI members are encouraged
to call or write their district
representatives. Contact information
for congressional offices is available at:
http://www.manufacturedhousing.org/
government_affairs/find_congress.asp.
If you have any questions, contact Rae
Ann Bevington at MHI (703)558-0675 or
Rbevington@mfghome.org.
Source: MHI Housing Alert – January 3, 2012
House Committee
Set to Evaluate HUD’s
Implementation of the 2000
Improvement Act
On February 1st, the House Financial
Services Subcommittee on Insurance,
Housing and Community Opportunity
will hold a hearing examining the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s (HUD’s) record in
fully implementing the Manufactured
Housing Improvement Act of 2000.
MHI has been working closely
with the committee staff to provide
substantive background information
on a variety of areas regarding HUD’s
activities in updating codes and
standards for the industry. MHI will
also have a representative testifying
before the panel.
CMHI members can contact Jason
Boehlert at (703)558-0600 or jboehlert@
mfghome.org.
Source: MHI Week in Review – January 20, 2012
Page 18
DOE Rule for New Energy
Efficiency Standards for
Manufactured Housing Now
at OMB for Review
The U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) has completed its draft rule to
establish energy efficiency standards
for manufactured housing and has
sent it to the White House Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review. OMB and other interested
federal agencies will have a chance to
comment on the draft rule before it is
published in the Federal Register as a
proposed rule. It could take up to three
months or more for comments to be
received by OMB.
Although the draft rule is not available
to the public, MHI believes it will
call for energy efficiency standards
based on the 2012 edition of the
International Energy Conservation
Code, and establish a system of DOE
enforcement, including civil penalties,
to address violations of the standards.
MHI believes that the draft rule will give
DOE wide discretion to enforce energy
efficiency standards for manufactured
homes. After the rule is proposed,
DOE will host a public meeting in
Washington, D.C. to accept comments
and information regarding the proposal.
There will likely be a 60-day comment
period for written comments.
MHI continues to prepare a technical
response to the proposed rule, and
is working with the Systems Building
Research Alliance (SBRA) on alternate
technologies, construction designs and
methods for meeting the new energy
standards. MHI continues to lobby key
members of Congress for a change
in the law to reassert HUD’s authority
to implement and enforce energy
standards for manufactured housing.
CMHI members can contact Lois
Starkey at (703)558-0654 or lstarkey@
mfghome.org or Rae Ann Bevington
at (703)558-0675 or rbevington@
mfghome.org
Source: MHI Week in Review – January 20, 2012