July 8, 2008 - The 30-day public comment period has wrapped for "LEED 2009," the U.S. Green Building Council's third reboot of its high-profile environmental certification standard, slated for release next year.

LEED 2009 will retool its point-allocation system to make the certification process less confusing, according to USGBC. The focus is on making the process more flexible to adapt to regional differences and changing technology, and to encourage more developers to seek LEED certification.

"These changes - giving LEED an umbrella rating system - will streamline the process and make it less confusing, especially for nonpractitioners," according to Anne Jackson, an associate at architecture firm Perkins+Will.

The certification process has been criticized for being too rigid, cumbersome, and costly, and for awarding points illogically.

Jackson hopes LEED 2009 will change that. "There are a number of ways you can achieve certification, and it's only hard to achieve if your mindset is traditional construction," she says. "One of its strengths is its flexibility.”

More than 1,500 buildings have earned LEED certification since the program was introduced in 2000. More than 11,000 are currently seeking certification, according to USGBC.