Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1415 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LA W.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1415
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1415
8	8	M3, M5 5lr3127
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Wivell, Adams, Arentz, Baker, Buckel, Hornberger, Mangione,
11	11	Miller, Pippy, Reilly, and Valentine
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Environment – Building Energy Performance Standard s and Energy Use 2
20	20	Intensity Targets – Exemptions 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of exempting a certain covered building from compliance with certain 4
23	23	building energy performance standards and energy use intensity targets until a 5
24	24	certain occurrence; and generally relating to building energy performance standards 6
25	25	and energy use intensity targets. 7
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
28	28	Article – Environment 9
29	29	Section 2–1601 10
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
31	31	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
34	34	Article – Environment 14
35	35	Section 2–1602 15
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
37	37	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
41	41
42	42	Article – Environment 20
43	43
44	44	2–1601. 21
45	45
46	46	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 22
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1415
48	48
49	49
50	50	(b) (1) “Agricultural building” means a structure that is used primarily to 1
51	51	cultivate, manufacture, process, or produce agricultural crops, raw materials, products, or 2
52	52	commodities. 3
53	53
54	54	(2) “Agricultural building” includes a greenhouse. 4
55	55
56	56	(c) “Building” has the meaning stated in the International Building Code. 5
57	57
58	58	(d) “Commercial building” means a building that is subject to the commercial 6
59	59	provisions of the International Energy Conservation Code. 7
60	60
61	61	(e) (1) “Covered building” means a building that: 8
62	62
63	63	(i) 1. Is a commercial or multifamily residential building in the 9
64	64	State; or 10
65	65
66	66	2. Is owned by the State; and 11
67	67
68	68	(ii) Has a gross floor area of 35,000 square feet or more, excluding 12
69	69	the parking garage area. 13
70	70
71	71	(2) “Covered building” does not include: 14
72	72
73	73	(i) A building designated as a historic property under federal, State, 15
74	74	or local law; 16
75	75
76	76	(ii) A public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school building; 17
77	77
78	78	(iii) A manufacturing building; or 18
79	79
80	80	(iv) An agricultural building. 19
81	81
82	82	(f) “Direct greenhouse gas emissions” means greenhouse gas emissions produced 20
83	83	on–site by covered buildings. 21
84	84
85	85	(g) “District energy” means thermal energy generated at one or more central 22
86	86	facilities that produce hot water, steam, or chilled water that then flows through a network 23
87	87	of insulated underground pipes to provide hot water, space heating, air conditioning, or 24
88	88	chilled water to nearby buildings. 25
89	89
90	90	2–1602. 26
91	91
92	92	(a) [The] SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION , THE Department 27
93	93	shall develop building energy performance standards for covered buildings that achieve: 28
94	94	HOUSE BILL 1415 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	(1) A 20% reduction in net direct greenhouse gas emissions on or before 1
98	98	January 1, 2030, as compared with 2025 levels for average buildings of similar construction; 2
99	99	and 3
100	100
101	101	(2) Net–zero direct greenhouse gas emissions on or before January 1, 2040. 4
102	102
103	103	(b) To facilitate the development of building energy performance standards under 5
104	104	this section, the Department shall require the owners of covered buildings to measure and 6
105	105	report direct emissions data to the Department annually beginning in 2025. 7
106	106
107	107	(c) (1) On or before June 1, 2023, the Department shall adopt regulations to 8
108	108	implement this section. 9
109	109
110	110	(2) Regulations adopted under this section shall: 10
111	111
112	112	(i) Subject to items (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph AND SUBSECTION 11
113	113	(F) OF THIS SECTION , include energy use intensity targets by building type; 12
114	114
115	115	(ii) As necessary, include special provisions or exceptions to account 13
116	116	for: 14
117	117
118	118	1. Building age; 15
119	119
120	120	2. Regional differences; 16
121	121
122	122	3. The unique needs of particular building or occupancy 17
123	123	types, including health care facilities, laboratories, assisted living and nursing facilities, 18
124	124	military buildings, critical infrastructure, and buildings used in life sciences as defined in 19
125	125	§ 3–201 of the Economic Development Article; and 20
126	126
127	127	4. The use of district energy systems and biofuels by covered 21
128	128	buildings; 22
129	129
130	130	(iii) Consider the needs of the owners of covered buildings who: 23
131	131
132	132	1. Are not responsible for the design, modification, fixtures, 24
133	133	or equipment of commercial tenants; 25
134	134
135	135	2. Do not have access to or control over building energy 26
136	136	systems that are used or controlled by commercial tenants; or 27
137	137
138	138	3. Own buildings occupied by commercial tenants who are 28
139	139	responsible for all maintenance of and repairs to the buildings; 29
140	140
141	141	(iv) Provide maximum flexibility to the owners of covered buildings 30
142	142	to comply with building energy performance standards; 31
143	143	4 HOUSE BILL 1415
144	144
145	145
146	146	(v) Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, include an alternative 1
147	147	compliance pathway allowing the owner of a covered building to pay a fee for greenhouse 2
148	148	gas emissions attributable to the building’s failure to meet direct greenhouse gas emissions 3
149	149	reduction targets; and 4
150	150
151	151	(vi) To the extent authorized by law, include financial incentives 5
152	152	recommended by the Building Energy Transition Implementation Task Force. 6
153	153
154	154	(3) The Department may not set an alternative compliance fee that is less 7
155	155	than the social cost of greenhouse gases adopted by the Department or the U.S. 8
156	156	Environmental Protection Agency. 9
157	157
158	158	(d) Electric companies and gas companies shall provide energy data, including 10
159	159	whole–building and aggregate data, to the owners of covered buildings for benchmarking 11
160	160	purposes. 12
161	161
162	162	(e) In calculating the statewide standards developed by the Department under 13
163	163	this section, an owner of a covered building may not consider greenhouse gas emissions or 14
164	164	energy use by a commercial tenant of the covered building that: 15
165	165
166	166	(1) Is a food service facility as defined in COMAR 10.15.03.02; and 16
167	167
168	168	(2) Engages in commercial cooking and water heating. 17
169	169
170	170	(F) THE DEPARTMENT MAY NOT RE QUIRE A COVERED BUILDING THAT 18
171	171	RECEIVED A USE AND OCCUPANCY PERMIT BEFORE JUNE 1, 2022, TO COMPLY WITH 19
172	172	BUILDING ENERGY PERF ORMANCE STANDARDS DEVELOPED UNDER OR ENERGY USE 20
173	173	INTENSITY TARGETS ADOPTED IN ACCORDANC E WITH THIS SECTION UNTIL IT 21
174	174	BECOMES NECESSARY TO REPLACE LIGHTING SYSTEMS, HEATING, VENTILATING, 22
175	175	AND AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) SYSTEMS, OR OTHER MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE 23
176	176	COVERED BUILDING DUE TO THE FAILURE O F THOSE COMPONENTS OR AS A RESULT 24
177	177	OF THE END OF LIFE O F THOSE COMPONENTS . 25
178	178
179	179	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 26
180	180	October 1, 2025. 27