I'm becoming notorious around here for so often posting about my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Well strap in, because it's time for another whirl on over to stumptown, which continues to be a model for sustainability.

This time, the City of Portland is taking on greenhouse gas emissions with a plan for a carbon tax based on the energy efficiency of buildings.

The Oregonian newspaper describes the effort, led by City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees the Office of Sustainable Development:

In a bold move to curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from the Portland area, city officials plan to charge builders hundreds of dollars for each new home that is not extremely energy efficient. And it would require, as part of every existing home sale, that an energy efficiency report be done by home inspectors.

Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the carbon fee and inspection requirement would levy taxes upon builders who merely comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the Oregon building code, already one of the most stringent in the nation. It would then pay cash rewards to developers who make buildings that save at least 45 percent more energy than the code requires.

... The plan will go before Portland residents, in hearings, in January. With passage, the carbon-fee rules would be in place by 2010.

City Commissioner Dan Saltzman announced the plan for Portland in Chicago on Tuesday night at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, drawing 20,000 environmentally conscious developers and building materials manufacturers from around the world. He did so at an invitation-only reception at the PDX Lounge, a showroom of sustainable products made by Oregon-based architecture firms, wood products companies and furniture designers. Mayor Tom Potter, present for the announcement, said he supports it.

... "This is obviously an ambitious and potentially controversial undertaking, but with the new urgency and call to action on issues around global warming, this is the type of policy that Portland needs to be a leader," Saltzman said. - Oregonian

This sort of aggressive sustainability legislation is the kind of forward-thinking that has made Portland a haven for those looking to reduce their carbon footprints. If passed, this tax will be next in the line of regulations on land use, Transportation, and urban development that continue to tint the city green.