The Town of Huntington [1]is expected to vote next month on a plan to give commercial developers incentives if they build according to green guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [2] (LEED) program, according to Newsday [3].

The incentive would give developers a refund on a fee that amounts to $1 per square foot. Builders pay the fee at the initiation of their project. If they build to a LEED standard, they receive 80 cents back on each dollar. If the project doesn't meet LEED standards, the town keeps the money.

"The forefront of government now is energy," said Town Supervisor Frank Petrone [4]. "Why? Because it's eating us up alive cost-wise and it's an environmental issue. That's why we're working so hard."