SENATE, No. 941
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
211th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2004
Sponsored by:
Senator MARTHA W. BARK
District 8 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires existing State buildings to be evaluated under certain energy and environmental performance standards and new State buildings to be designed and managed using those standards.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning State buildings and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Division" means the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury; and
"Green Building Rating System" means the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for measuring and evaluating the energy and environmental performance of a building, as adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council.
2. The Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury shall conduct a study using the Green Building Rating System to measure and evaluate the energy and environmental performance of each building owned, or leased for a term of at least 10 years, by the State. The division shall prepare a written report of the findings and conclusions of the study, and include in that report any recommendations for legislative or administrative action pertaining thereto and, for each building, (1) a list of possible improvements that could reasonably be made to increase the building's score under the rating system, and (2) a cost-benefit analysis for each of those possible improvements. The division shall transmit the written report within one year after the date of enactment of this act to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the State House Commission, the chairpersons of the Senate Environment Committee, Senate State Government Committee, Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, and Assembly State Government Committee, or their successors, and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection. The written report shall also be made available to the public at no charge or for a fee not to exceed the cost of reproduction, and shall be posted on the Internet.
3. Any building to be constructed by or for the State after the date of enactment of this act shall be designed and managed, to the maximum extent practicable and feasible, so that it may be certified at the highest possible applicable level under the standards of the Green Building Rating System. The requirements of this section shall not apply to any building for which a request for proposal for entering into a contract to construct a State building has been issued prior to the date of enactment of this act.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury to conduct a study using the "Green Building Rating System" to measure and evaluate the energy and environmental performance of each building owned, or leased for a term of at least 10 years, by the State. The bill also requires the division to prepare a written report of the findings and conclusions of the study, and include in that report any recommendations for legislative or administrative action pertaining thereto and, for each building, (1) a list of possible improvements that could reasonably be made to increase the building's score under the rating system, and (2) a cost-benefit analysis for each of those possible improvements. The division is required to transmit the written report to appropriate State officials, and to make it available to the public, within one year after the date of enactment of the bill.
The bill also provides that any building to be constructed by or for the State must be designed and managed, to the maximum extent practicable and feasible, so that it may be certified at the highest possible applicable level under the standards of the Green Building Rating System.
The purpose of this bill is to promote energy efficient and environmentally friendly State government buildings. The Green Building Rating System cited in the bill is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, as adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council, which measures and evaluates the energy and environmental performance of a building.
As described in a gubernatorial executive order issued in the State of Maryland, which instituted a "green buildings" program modeled at least in part upon the LEED rating system, a "green building" is a "philosophy of building design and construction which incorporates the following concepts: using natural resources efficiently; considering the impact of buildings on the local, regional and global environment; reducing building footprint size; allowing ecosystems to function naturally; conserving and reusing water; treating storm water on-site; maximizing the use of local materials; optimizing energy performance by installing energy efficient equipment and systems; optimizing climatic conditions through site orientation and design; integrating natural day-lighting and ventilation; minimizing the use of mined rare metals and persistent synthetic compounds; and minimizing construction waste by reducing, reusing and recycling materials during all phases of construction and deconstruction."
Another example where the "green building" concept has been implemented is Arlington County, Virginia, which has described some of the characteristics of a "green building" as follows: "[p]reserving natural vegetation; containing non-toxic or recycled-content building materials; maintaining good indoor air-quality; using water and energy efficiently; conserving natural resources; featuring natural lighting; including recycling facilities throughout; including access to public transportation; featuring flexible interiors; and recycling construction and demolition waste."
It is hoped that, with passage of this bill, the State of New Jersey will then be one of the national leaders in this important effort to promote construction and development that incorporates sound energy conservation and environmental protection principles.