BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1058
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1058 (Laird)
As Amended March 29, 2007
Majority vote
NATURAL RESOURCES 6-3 HOUSING 5-2
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|Ayes:|Hancock, Brownley, Laird, |Ayes:|Saldana, Laird, Hancock, |
| |Saldana, Wolk, Huffman | |Mullin, Swanson |
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|Nays:|Fuller, Aghazarian, Keene |Nays:|Garcia, Sharon Runner |
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APPROPRIATIONS
(vote not available)
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SUMMARY : Requires the California Environmental Protection
Agency (CalEPA) to develop best practices for green building in
new residential construction. Specifically, this bill :
1)Defines "best practices" as green building best practices for
residential home construction, which include: energy
efficiency, conservation, or renewable generation measures;
water efficiency, conservation, and reuse measures; materials
and resource efficiency, conservation, and reuse measures;
indoor environmental quality measures, including indoor air
quality; non-motorized transportation; and, a method for
determining life-cycle cost, including evaluating the relative
effectiveness, cost, and life-cycle savings of individual or
multiple green building measures.
2)Requires CalEPA, with the working group and in consultation
with representatives from the building industry, environmental
advocacy groups, local governments, and other interested
parties, to develop, adopt, and make available voluntary best
practices on or before July 1, 2009.
3)Establishes a working group to assist CalEPA in the
development of the best practices including, but not limited
to: California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB); Air
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Resources Board; Department of Water Resources; Department of
Housing and Community Development; Department of General
Services; and, California Building Standards Commission (BSC).
4)Requires that each state agency in the working group take the
lead in developing best practices in its particular area of
expertise and to determine the appropriate minimum best
practices that must be met to consider a residence sustainable
and environmentally sound (minimum standards). Requires
CalEPA to coordinate the integration of the best practices
5)Requires BSC to review all aspects of the best practices and
minimum standards to ensure that the standards do not "fall
below" the requirements of the California Building Standards
Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations).
6)Requires all entities involved in the development of the best
practices and the minimum standards to consider relevant green
building guidelines.
7)Requires CalEPA to develop an education program to inform
local entities of the benefits of green building and to
encourage the use of the best practices.
8)Requires CalEPA and the working group, beginning January 1,
2011, to conduct a public review of the best practices and
minimum standards and may make revisions based on the review.
9)On or before January 1, 2012, CalEPA shall submit the revised
(mandatory) minimum standards for adoption by BSC. BSC may
revise, but not reduce, the minimum standards submitted by
CalEPA.
10) Requires that on and after January 1, 2013, all new
homes shall meet the minimum standards adopted by BSC. If BSC
does not adopt the standards by that date, all new homes shall
meet the minimum standards developed by CalEPA and the working
group until BSC adopts minimum standards.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, moderate costs, in the range of $300,000 annually
from 2008-09 through 2011-12, to CalEPA to support the
activities of the state agency working group, to coordinate
state agency-developed minimum standards, to develop an
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education program, and to pay BSC costs to review and revise
these minimum standards. (General Fund or various special
regulatory funds).
COMMENTS : According to the author, there were approximately
12.9 million housing units in the state last year and over
211,000 new housing units were constructed. In 2003, investment
in new residential construction totaled $34 million. This
construction results in significant environmental impacts: the
construction of a conventional 2,000 square foot home generates
between three to five tons of waste; California residences use
5.6 million acre-feet of applied water annually; and, the
residential sector accounts for approximately 31% of the
electricity used in the state. While recent Executive Orders
encourage green building practices in state facilities,
commercial construction, and schools, they do not address
residential construction.
CIWMB estimates that over 220,000 new housing units will be
needed annually over the next 15 years to accommodate population
growth. CIWMB also notes that many common building products
used in household construction emit formaldehyde and other
chemicals known to have adverse health impacts. According to
CIWMB's Web site, "houses in California must comply with the
most stringent energy code in the country, but this will not be
enough to reduce the impacts housing has on the state's
environment. In order to be truly effective, an integrated
approach to building must be pursued."
According to the author, "green building practices utilize
energy, water, and materials efficiently throughout the
building's life cycle; enhance indoor air quality; and
incorporate environmentally preferable products."
CIWMB's Web site outlines the benefits of residential green
buildings, including: 1) increasing demand for recycled content
building products creates markets for the material collected in
municipal recycling programs; 2) reducing and recycling
construction wastes directly benefits local jurisdictions
working to meet the state's solid waste diversion requirements;
3) recycling construction waste is often less expensive than
disposal; 4) making homes more energy efficient results in
monthly utility savings for residents; 5) using onsite
electricity generation, via solar or other methods, reduces the
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state's dependence on out-of-state power generation, provides
electricity back to the grid during the day, saves consumers
money, and reduces air-pollution; 6) using low-flow water
fixtures and water efficient landscaping can reduce water demand
and lower monthly bills; 7) cities that embrace green building
can reduce the impacts on their infrastructure including roads,
water treatment, and storm water run-off; and, 8) increasing the
use of infill land and/or encouraging redevelopment in
underutilized sites reduces the consumption of farmland and
eases transportation burdens since these sites are generally
located in developed areas near jobs and services.
Although the state has not directly addressed residential green
building specifically, the state has taken action to encourage
sustainable development, including:
1) Executive Order S-3-05: The Governor acknowledged climate
change as a threat to the environment and committed the state
to taking action to address this issue in signing Executive
Order S-3-05. The order calls for a reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2010; to 1990 levels by 2020;
and, to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The Governor
established the Climate Action Team, headed by the Secretary
for Environmental Protection, to implement global warming
emission reduction programs and to report on the progress made
toward meeting the statewide greenhouse gas targets that were
established in the order.
2) Executive Order S-20-04, The Green Building Initiative: In
Executive Order S-20-04, adopted in July of 2004, the Governor
committed the state to actively reducing the state's energy
usage by constructing, retrofitting, and operating state
buildings in an energy-efficient manner, including
implementing the measures identified in the Green Building
Action Plan.
Analysis Prepared by : Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN: 0000995