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2011 SESSION

11100452D
SENATE BILL NO. 832
Offered January 12, 2011
Prefiled January 7, 2011
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 and 2.2-1183, relating to the Green Public Buildings Act.
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Patron-- Petersen
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Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
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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 and 2.2-1183, as follows:

Article 8.
Green Public Buildings Act.

§ 2.2-1182. Short title; definitions.

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

B. As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Green Globes" means the Green Building Initiative green building rating standard.

"LEED" means the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating standard.

§ 2.2-1183. Building standards; exemption.

A. Any executive branch agency or institution entering the design phase for construction of a new building greater than 5,000 gross square feet in size, or renovating such a building where the cost of renovation exceeds 50 percent of the value of the building, shall conform to the standards at least as stringent as the LEED or Green Globes standards and the buildings shall be designed, constructed, verified, and operated to achieve energy savings that exceed the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2007 (Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings) by at least 10 percent for new construction and 5 percent for major renovation. In addition, water systems designed for such buildings shall be required to provide potable water use savings of at least 25 percent over the baseline standard established in the Virginia Plumbing Code.

B. The Director of the Department of General Services may grant an exemption from the design and construction standards required by subsection A upon a finding of special circumstances that make construction or renovation to the standards impracticable.