Norton to Cut Ribbon at the Navy Yard for D.C.'s Newest Green Office Building

Norton to Cut Ribbon at the Navy Yard for D.C.'s Newest Green Office Building

June 14, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will give remarks today at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new, environmentally friendly Washington office of the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM), at 20 M Street SE, 10:30AM - 11:00AM. Norton will be joined by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, General Services Administration Administrator Martha Johnson, and Lerner Enterprises Director of Commercial Properties Scott Mead. The new BLM office is the first office building in the District to receive a LEED Gold certification level for its external structure and HVAC system. Some of the environmentally friendly components of the building include a roof designed to reduce heat island effects, plumbing to reduce water consumption, water reclamation, and reduced energy consumption through high-efficiency HVAC systems.

"We must maintain the federal green momentum we achieved during four years of Democratic control, not only to save the planet, but also to ensure savings for taxpayers," said Norton. "The Interior Department has not missed a beat with its LEED Gold certified Bureau of Land Management building here, a D.C. first. I am particularly pleased that this green building is in the revitalized Navy Yard neighborhood."

The BLM's mission is to sustain the health, productivity, and diversity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. It administers more public land - over 245 million surface acres - than any other federal agency in the nation, most of which is located in the 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also manages 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the United States.