BILL NUMBER: AB 35 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ruskin
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Lieu)
DECEMBER 4, 2006
An act to add Part 3.1 (commencing with Section 71117) to Division
34 of the Public Resources Code, relating to the environment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 35, as introduced, Ruskin. Environment: state buildings:
sustainable building standards.
Existing law sets forth various requirements for energy and design
efficiency in construction and renovation in state buildings.
This bill would enact the Sustainable Building Act of 2007 and
would require the California Integrated Waste Management Board, by
July 1, 2009, to adopt regulations for sustainable building standards
for the construction or renovation of state buildings, as defined.
The bill would require the board, when adopting the regulations, to
consider existing relevant information and guidelines, as specified,
to consult with appropriate state agencies, and specified private and
public sector organizations and the public, and to hold at least 2
public workshops. The bill would require, on and after July 1, 2010,
that a state building for which development of capitol plans
commences after that date, and a renovation commencing on or after
that date, be built, designed, and operated in accordance with those
regulations.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Part 3.1 (commencing with Section 71117) is added to
Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
PART 3.1. SUSTAINABLE BUILDING ACT OF 2007
71117. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) California is committed to providing leadership on energy,
environmental, and public health issues by implementing innovative
and resource-efficient public building design practices and other
state government programs that improve the lives of California's 35
million residents.
(b) The state invests approximately two billion dollars
($2,000,000,000) annually for design, construction, and renovation,
and more than six hundred million dollars ($600,000,000) annually for
energy, water, and waste disposal at state-funded facilities.
(c) A building's energy, water, and waste disposal costs are
computed over a 25-year period, or for the life of the building, and
far exceed the cost of design and construction.
(d) An opportunity exists for the state to foster continued
economic growth and provide environmental leadership by incorporating
sustainable building practices into the state capital outlay and
building management processes.
(e) Sustainable building practices utilize energy, water, and
materials efficiently throughout the building's life cycle; enhance
indoor air quality; improve employees' health, comfort, and
productivity; incorporate environmentally preferable products, and
thereby substantially reduce the costs and environmental impacts
associated with long-term building operations, without compromising
building performance or the needs of future generations.
(f) The widespread adoption of sustainable building principles
would result in significant long-term benefits to California
environment, including reductions in smog generation, runoff of water
pollutants to surface water and groundwater sources, and the demand
for energy, water, and sewage treatment services, and the fiscal and
environmental impacts resulting from the expansion of these
infrastructures.
(g) It is critical that the state provides leadership to both the
private and public sectors in the sustainable building arena.
(h) It is the policy of the state to site, design, deconstruct,
construct, renovate, operate, and maintain state buildings that are
models of energy, water, and material efficiency, while providing
healthy, productive, and comfortable indoor environments and
long-term benefits to Californians.
(i) The Climate Action Team's report, Climate Action Team Report
to the Governor and the Legislature, identifies strategies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, which include continued implementation of
the Green Building Initiative and energy efficiency standards for
state buildings.
(j) It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this part, to
recognize that no one set of existing "green" building guidelines
may encompass the state's unique economic and natural
resources-related environment. It is further the intent of the
Legislature to ensure that the guidelines adopted pursuant to this
part recognize California's leadership in environmental
sustainability practices and include the most rigorous measures and
methods possible with regard to the factors specified in subdivision
(a) of Section 71117.2.
71117.1. For purposes of this part, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(a) "Board" means the California Integrated Waste Management
Board.
(b) "Sustainable building" means a project designed to reduce both
direct and indirect environmental consequences associated with its
construction, use, operation, maintenance, and eventual
decommissioning, the design of which is evaluated for cost,
quality-of-life impacts, future flexibility, ease of maintenance,
energy and resource efficiency, and overall environmental impact,
with an emphasis on life-cycle cost analysis.
(c) "State building" means a building owned or leased by the
state.
71117.2. (a) On or before July 1, 2009, the board shall adopt
regulations for sustainable building standards for the construction
or renovation of state buildings regarding all of the following:
(1) Sustainability of the site.
(2) Water efficiency.
(3) Energy and atmosphere.
(4) Materials and resources.
(5) Indoor environmental quality.
(6) Innovation and design process.
(b) When adopting regulations pursuant to this section, the board
shall consider those aspects of existing relevant information and
guidelines that maximize the measures and methods identified in
subdivision (a) and shall allow for flexibility to meet California's
building standards. These existing relevant guidelines and
information shall include, but are not limited to, all of the
following:
(1) The United States Green Building Council's Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design.
(2) The Green Building Initiative's "Green Globes" rating system.
(3) The federal Environmental Protection Agency's "Federal Green
Construction Guide for Specifiers."
(4) The federal Department of Energy's "Green Federal Facilities."
(5) The state's Building Better Buildings: An Update on State
Sustainable Building Initiatives (Blueprint 2003).
(6) The Governor's Executive Order S-20-04.
(c) In adopting regulations pursuant to this part, the board shall
take all of the following actions:
(1) Consult with appropriate state agencies, the building and
construction industry, the building and construction supplies
industry, recognized environmental advocacy groups, the League of
California Cities, the California State Association of Counties,
other interested organizations, and the public.
(2) Hold at least two public workshops to discuss the regulations
and gather input from interested parties.
(d) The board, in consultation with the entities set forth in
paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), may revise, if deemed necessary by
the board, the regulations developed pursuant to this section.
(e) The board shall consult with the California Building Standards
Commission to ensure that the regulations developed pursuant to this
section are not in conflict with the California Building Standards
Code.
71117.3. On and after July 1, 2010, a state building for which
development of capital plans commences on and after that date, and a
renovation to a building owned by the state that commences on or
after that date, shall be built, designed, and operated in accordance
with the regulations adopted pursuant to this part.