Environment and Energy 

The mission of the Office of Environment and Energy (OEE) is to advance and sustain environmental compliance in HUD-assisted projects and programs, foster environmental and cultural stewardship, and support the provision of decent, safe, and high-performing housing. OEE manages the environmental review process across HUD programs and supports energy-efficient, high performance buildings.

• Environmental Planning Division (EPD): OEE has a headquarters team of subject matter experts to develop policy, standards, criteria, and guidelines for environmental review processes. The EPD develops innovative methods for environmental planning and assessment and provides technical assistance to HUD program offices and constituents.
• Environmental Review Division (ERD): OEE has Regional Environmental Officers (REOs) and Field Environmental Officers (FEOs) around the country to assist HUD staff and responsible entities performing environmental reviews for HUD-funded projects. OEE Field Office staff are highly qualified environmental specialists who provide expert technical assistance and training to those who prepare HUD environmental reviews. They are available to help address and resolve any potentially complicated environmental compliance issues. They also monitor CPD entitlement responsible entities to ensure compliance with HUD Environmental Regulations.
• Environmental Review: OEE is responsible for oversight of HUD compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through the environmental review process for HUD-funded programs and projects. An environmental review is the process of reviewing a project and its potential environmental impacts to determine whether it meets federal, state, and local environmental standards. The environmental review process is required for all HUD-assisted projects to ensure that the proposed project does not negatively impact the surrounding environment and that the property site itself will not have an adverse environmental or health effect on end users. Not every project is subject to a full environmental review (i.e., every project's environmental impact must be examined, but the extent of this examination varies), but every project must be in compliance with NEPA and other related federal and state environmental laws.
• High Performance Buildings: OEE supports HUD program offices in advancing high-performance building policies and practices in public and assisted housing. This includes promoting best practices in lowering water and energy costs, improving disaster resilience, and taking advantage of investments in existing affordable multifamily housing to improve both energy performance and resident health and comfort. OEE supports HUD partners through the multifamily Better Buildings Challenge, a partnership with the Department of Energy that includes almost 100 portfolio managers with some 633,000 HUD-assisted affordable housing units who have committed to lowering energy use in their portfolios by 20 percent over 10 years. Good information about energy consumption and costs is critical to help HUD, housing providers and residents manage costs, identify and prioritize energy efficiency improvements, and track portfolio performance. 

Content current as of December 11, 2020.