The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has grown dramatically in the past decade thanks to an overwhelming increase in consumer interest in green construction. As part of its growth the USGBC met the challenges of the growing field by announcing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Version 3.0, in September, 2006.

LEED v3.0 is a working title that incorporates all the on-going changes that the organization makes to streamline efficiency and any incorporation of advances in science and technology.

The LEED Green Building Rating System utilizes various third-party certification bodies to aid in helping them rate organizations and standards. These newly announced companies are a part of a comprehensive update to the LEED rating system that will be introduced in January, 2009.

The companies are:

• ABS Quality Evaluations, Inc.
• BSI Management Systems America, Inc.
• Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
• DNV Certification
• Intertek
• KEMA-Register Quality Assurance Inc.
• NSF-International Strategic Registrations
• SRI Quality System Registrar, Inc.
• Underwriters Laboratories-DQS Inc.

As part of the new ratings development, administration of the LEED certification process will be transferred to the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a non-profit established in-part by the USGBC. The change is projected to expand service, eliminated the red-tap of backlogs and meeting compliance with ISO standards.

Further change within LEED v3.0 is a technology update to LEED Online that hopes to create a better user experience and expand portfolio management capabilities.