An Act To Amend the Site Location of Development Laws To Include Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions II
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0891
Committee Amendment CA_A-SA_A_S469 (Senate)

SENATE AMENDMENT "A "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 341, 
L.D. 891, Bill, "An Act To Amend the Site Location of Development Laws To Include 
Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions" 
II 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of section I and inselting the following: 
'Sec. 1. Creation of energy-efficient building standards. Resolved: That 
the Department of Environmental Protection, referred to in this resolve as "the 
department," in consultation with the Efficiency Maine Trust Board, the Technical 
Building Codes and Standards Board within the Department of Public Safety, technical 
experts in energy efficiency and other interested parties, shall compile from existing 
sources a set of standards for the design and operation of developments subject to the 
jurisdiction of the site location of development laws in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
38, chapter 3, subchapter I, article 6. 
The standards must be selected based on a 
demonstration that a building designed, constructed and operated under the standards will 
have no unreasonable adverse impact on the environment from the generation of 
greenhouse gases over the building's useful life. By January 1,20 II, the department shall 
submit a report on its compilation of the standards to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources matters; and be it further' 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of section 3 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 3. 
Evaluation of current energy-efficient building practices. 
Resolved: That the department, in consultation with the Efficiency Maine Trust Board, 
the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board within the Department of Public 
Safety and technical expelts, shall evaluate the energy performance of the Maine Uniform 
Building and Energy Code in relation to other commonly used benchmarking systems, 
such as the United States Green Building Council's "LEED" system, and Energy Star and 
the Home Energy Rating System established by the United States Department of Energy 
and the United States Environmental 
Protection Agency, 
in 
order to 
make 
recommendations to ensure that any standards developed under section I for 
developments subject to the jurisdiction of the site location of development laws in the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter I, article 6 are consistent with the 
7 
Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. By January I, 20 II, the department shall 
repOlt its recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over natural resources matters; and be it further' 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
SENATE AMENDMENT"A"to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A"to S.P. 341, L.D. 891 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of section 5 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 5. Creation of energy-efficient developments. Resolved: 
That the 
department shall, in the course of developing the recommended standards and best 
management practices pursuant to this resolve, provide the Maine Land Use Regulation 
Commission with information regarding energy-efficient design, construction and 
operation of developments. 
By January 1, 2012, the Maine Land Use Regulation 
Commission shall submit a report on how these recommendations could be implemented, 
with an estimate of the cost to landowners to implement each recommendation, to the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiCtion over natural resources 
matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
agriculture, conservation and forestry matters. 
The joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters is 
authorized to submit a bill to implement the recommendations to the Second Regular 
Session of the 125th Legislature.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment: 
I. 
Removes language requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to 
develop carbon-neutral building standards and instead requires the department to develop 
energy efficiency standards; 
2. 
Requires that the energy efficiency standards be consistent with the Maine 
Uniform Building and Energy Code; and 
3. 
Removes language requiring the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission to 
recommend ways to ensure that development in the unorganized and deorganized areas in 
the State minimizes energy use, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and maximizes energy 
efficiency. 
~u 
SPONSOREDBY:~~~ 
(Senator SCHNEID 
) 
COUNTY: Penobscot 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
) 
)