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2008 SESSION

082394293
SENATE BILL NO. 447
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology
on January 30, 2008)
(Patron Prior to Substitute—Senator Petersen)
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 11 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 8, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-1182 through 2.2-1185, relating to the Department of General Services; Green Buildings Act; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 11 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 8, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-1182 through 2.2-1185 as follows:

Article 8.
Green Buildings Act.

§ 2.2-1182. Short title; findings; definition.

A. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Green Buildings Act."

B. The General Assembly finds that:

1. Energy costs for public buildings are skyrocketing and will likely continue to increase.

2. Public buildings can be built and renovated using high-performance methods that save energy costs, preserve the environment, and make workers and students more productive.

C. As used in this article, “Green Building design” means a design that meets the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building rating system or the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes building rating system.

§ 2.2-1183. Building standards; exemption.

A. Any state agency authorized by the General Assembly to undertake a major facility project located on state-owned land, shall build to Green Building design standards, unless granted an exemption by the Director of the Department of General Services. Such projects shall not be required to obtain official Green Building design certification.

B. Application of the requirement to build to Green Building design standards to major facility projects shall proceed in the following manner:

1. New construction projects of 150,000 square feet or more entering the design phase between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.

2. New construction projects of 100,000 square feet or more entering the design phase between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.

3. New construction projects of 50,000 square feet or more entering the design phase between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011.

4. New construction projects of 25,000 square feet or more entering the design phase after July 1, 2011.

C. The provisions of this article shall not apply to any construction project of a public school district.

§ 2.2-1184. Administration; monitoring.

A. The Department of General Services shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to enforce this article. Such regulations shall include criteria for determining when a project qualifies for an exemption from the Green Building design standard and the building standards that may be imposed on projects that are granted exemptions.

B. The Department shall monitor and document ongoing operating savings that result from major facility projects designed and constructed consistent with Green Building design standards.

C. The Director shall evaluate requests for exemptions in consultation with the Secretary of Natural Resources.

§ 2.2-1185. Report.

On or before December 1 of each year, the Department shall provide to the Governor and General Assembly (i) a description of projects granted exemptions from Green Building design standards, (ii) the reasons for exemptions, and (iii) recommendations for changes in policy.