‘Resolve, To Develop Standards and Practices for Developments of State and Regional Significance in Order To Reduce Dependency on Imported Fossil Fuels and Meet the State’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Goals’
| SP0341 LD 891 |
Second Regular Session - 124th Maine Legislature C "A", Filing Number S-386, Sponsored by
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LR 524 Item 2 |
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| Bill Tracking | Chamber Status | ||
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, To Develop Standards and Practices for Developments of State and Regional Significance in Order To Reduce Dependency on Imported Fossil Fuels and Meet the State’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Goals’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. Creation of carbon-neutral building standards. Resolved: That the Department of Environmental Protection, referred to in this resolve as "the department," in consultation with the Efficiency Maine Trust Board, the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board within the Department of Public Safety, technical experts in energy efficiency and other interested parties, shall compile from existing sources a set of standards for the design and operation of developments subject to the jurisdiction of the site location of development laws in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter 1, article 6. The standards must be selected based on a demonstration that a building designed, constructed and operated under the standards will have net emissions, taking into account mitigation efforts, that are carbon-neutral over the building's useful life. By January 1, 2011, the department shall submit a report on its compilation of the standards to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters; and be it further
Sec. 2. Creation of best management practices for the siting and construction of developments of state and regional significance that may substantially affect the environment. Resolved: That the department, in consultation with the Executive Department, State Planning Office, the Department of Transportation, technical experts in architecture, transportation and site development and other interested parties, shall develop a series of best management practices for the design and site layout of developments subject to the jurisdiction of the site location of development laws in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter 1, article 6 that will contribute to minimizing or avoiding the emission of greenhouse gases and maximizing energy efficiency. By January 1, 2011, the department shall report on the development of the best management practices to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters; and be it further
Sec. 3. Evaluation of current energy and carbon-efficient building practices. Resolved: That the department, in consultation with the Efficiency Maine Trust Board, the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board within the Department of Public Safety and technical experts, shall evaluate the energy performance of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code in relation to other commonly used benchmarking systems, such as the United States Green Building Council's "LEED" system, and Energy Star and the Home Energy Rating System established by the United States Department of Energy and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in order to make recommendations as to whether developments subject to the jurisdiction of the site location of development laws in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter 1, article 6 should have a different standard in order to further meet the goals of the State's climate action plan. By January 1, 2011, the department shall report its recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters; and be it further
Sec. 4. Authority to submit a bill. Resolved: That the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters may submit a bill to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature to implement recommendations in the reports submitted pursuant to sections 1, 2 and 3 of this resolve; and be it further
Sec. 5. Creation of carbon-neutral and energy-efficient development. Resolved: That the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission shall, in the course of implementing its comprehensive land use plan pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 685C, identify alternative approaches and provide recommendations regarding ways to ensure that the design, construction and operation of future development in the unorganized and deorganized areas of the State minimize overall energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maximize energy efficiency. The department shall, in the course of developing its reports pursuant to this resolve, provide the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission information regarding energy-efficient design, construction and operation of developments. By January 1, 2012, the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission shall submit a report on its progress and any recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters is authorized to submit a bill to implement the recommendations to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.’
summary
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. The amendment replaces the bill with a resolve.
1. It directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with others, to compile from existing sources a set of standards for the design and operation of developments subject to the site location of development laws such that the emissions of a building designed, constructed and operated under the standards will be carbon-neutral.
2. It directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with others, to develop a series of best management practices for the design and site layout of developments subject to the site location of development laws that will contribute to minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases and maximizing energy efficiency.
3. It directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with others, to evaluate the energy performance of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code in relation to other energy benchmarking systems in order to recommend whether developments subject to the site location of development laws should have a different standard.
4. It requires the Department of Environmental Protection to report on each of the 3 subject areas to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters by January 1, 2011 and authorizes the committee to submit a bill relating to the reports to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.
5. It directs the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission to recommend ways to ensure that the location of future development in the commission's jurisdiction minimizes overall energy use, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and maximizes energy efficiency. It requires the commission to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters by January 1, 2012 and authorizes the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters to submit a bill relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.