Asheville City Council approved signing a resolution in support of federal legislation to legalize Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. The programs would allow local governments to loan private householders funds for green retrofits. The governments could then secure liens on the houses that would run with the property, and would be repayable through special tax assessments. Vice Mayor Brownie Newman asked what the point would be, since council has signed resolutions the past two years. Councilman Bill Russell voted against the matter. The main objection is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who back over half the mortgages in this country, have said they will not deal with PACE liens because they are too risky. Russell asked if the experts consider the liens dangerous, who is city council to tell them to back them, anyway?