LEED Interpretations

Why doesn't USGBC simply turn appropriate CIR's into precedent setting interpretations rather than asking us to pay more if we expect it could be precedent setting? USGBC should decide what information/rulings from CIR's are appropriate to become precedent setting regardless of how much we pay.

Additionally, it is a big pill to swallow that these would take so long after I paid for it and need the ruling. Now we are paying to encourage USGBC to fix their own rating system?

Last, why don't all of these come out in addenda? Instead, now we'll have to monitor two streams of data for inclusion in our reference guides. Already, these guides are looking very ragged due to our hand-written notes, pasted excerpts, and attached pages from the addenda changes. I can't imagine how we will incorporate the Interpretations in our Reference Guide. Can't USGBC simply send us new updated pages that we can insert in our Reference Guides?

So, again, we are being asked to be 'lawyers' in that we must memorize all precedent setting decisions by USGBC, rather then incorporating them into our one large Reference Guide. I'd like to see this guide updated weekly than have to keep up with all of the additional supplements, addenda, interpretations, and other guides and documents.

When I went to input a CIR this morning, the two costs were tied together so that I could not choose the CIR request without also selecting the interpretation rule so the $220 plus the $180 was not an optional cost.

Is it possible to pay the $180 and only have the global interpretation? If the Review Team is likely to be over-ruled by the TAGs I would rather just pay for the ultimate decision.

Access to the searchable data has had an immediate impact on my understanding of some issues. The more searchable data the USGBC can offer ( an even if it is for a small subscription ) the better !

The real problem is that i often just dont know what i dont know. LEED 2009 is changing and this new database goes a long way to keeping me up to date.

Is this the same information that is accessible through the Credit Library at http://www.usgbc.org/credits ? Since I would want to browse interpretations credit-by-credit, the credit library format is much more intuitive for me.