ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2152

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JULY 20, 2020

      The Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 2152.        This bill, as amended by the committee, would authorize municipalities, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Department of Transportation (DOT), to give priority consideration to permit applications for green building projects. 

      The bill authorizes the governing body of a municipality to enact an ordinance requiring a municipal agency to provide priority consideration to permit applications for green building projects.  In addition, the bill authorizes the DCA, DEP, and DOT to adopt rules and regulations to give priority consideration to permit applications for green building projects. 

      Under the bill, a project would qualify as a “green building project” if the project has documented incorporation of site, water, energy, and resource efficiency measures and demonstrable practices to promote the health and well-being of the building occupants. The bill requires an application receiving priority consideration to include a letter from a licensed architect or engineer describing how the project qualifies as a green building project.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments to the bill provide that:

      1) a governing body of a municipality may enact an ordinance requiring a municipal agency to provide priority consideration pursuant to the bill, rather than requiring municipal agencies to give priority consideration to applications; and

      2) the DCA, DEP, and DOT may adopt rules and regulations to give priority consideration to permit applications for green building projects, rather than requiring them to provide priority consideration.