Sellen Sustainability, a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) member company, recently testified before Congress on the USGBC's behalf regarding the local business and community impacts of the federal government's investment in high-performance green buildings and other infrastructure.

Yancy Wright, LEED AP, director of sustainability at Sellen, discussed the deconstruction and modernization of the new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) facility on the Federal Center South Campus in Seattle.

"When completed, the new building, which is aiming to meet or exceed LEED Gold certification, will provide a cost-effective, resource-efficient, high-performance, healthy and functional work environment for USACE employees and will significantly improve the current runoff into the Duwamish River," Wright said.

The project is part of the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA’s) green infrastructure investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In his testimony, Wright lauded GSA's leadership in stimulating job growth through federal facilities, noting the tremendous opportunity presented by the agency's vast building portfolio of more than 1,400 properties.

For more information and to watch a video of the hearing, visit the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Website.