Chapter 203
2010 -- H 7407
Enacted 06/25/10
A N A C T
RELATING TO
HEALTH AND SAFETY -- GREEN ECONOMY ROUNDTABLE
Introduced By: Representatives A Rice, Walsh, Handy, Gallison, and Malik
Date Introduced: February 09, 2010
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled
"HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby
amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
CHAPTER
85
GREEN
ECONOMY ROUNDTABLE
23-85-1. Short title.
-- This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Green
Economy Roundtable”.
23-85-2. Definitions.
-- As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the
following meaning unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise:
(1) “Energy improvement
project” means:
(i)
A project to improve energy efficiency in a building or facility, including the
design,
acquisition, installation, construction, and commissioning of
equipment or improvements to a
building or facility owned or operated by a state agency, and
training of building or facility staff
necessary to properly operate and maintain the equipment or
improvements; or
(ii) A project to
design, acquire, install, construct, and commission
equipment or products
to utilize solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, or other
alternative energy sources in heating,
cooling, or providing electricity for a building or facility
owned or operated by a state agency and
training of building or facility staff necessary to properly
operate and maintain the equipment or
improvements.
(2) “Energy project
study” means a technical and financial study of one or more energy
improvement projects, including:
(i)
An analysis of historical energy consumption and cost data;
(ii) A description of
existing equipment, structural elements, operating characteristics,
and other conditions affecting energy use;
(iii) A description
of the proposed energy improvement projects;
(iv)
A detailed budget for the proposed project; and
(v) Calculations
sufficient to demonstrate the expected energy and operational cost
savings and reduction in fossil-fuel use.
(3) “Financing
agreement” means a tax-exempt lease-purchase agreement entered into by
the director of administration and a financial
institution under a standard project financing
agreement.
(4) “Green economy”
means products, processes, methods, technologies, or services
intended to do one or more of the following:
(i) Increase the use of energy from renewable sources;
(ii) Achieve the
statewide energy-savings;
(iii) Achieve the
greenhouse gas emission reduction;
(iv)
Mitigation of the greenhouse gas emissions through, but not
limited to, carbon
capture, storage, or sequestration;
(v) Monitor, protect,
restore, and preserve the quality of surface waters; or
(vi)
Expand the use of biofuels, including
by expanding the feasibility or reducing the
cost of producing biofuels or
the types of equipment, machinery, and vehicles that can use
biofuels. “Green economy” includes strategies that reduce
carbon emissions, such as utilizing
existing buildings and other infrastructure, and utilizing
mass transit or otherwise reducing
commuting for employees.
(5) “State agency”
means any office, board, commission, authority, department, or other
agency of state government.
23-85-3. Composition of the green economy
roundtable. -- (a) The
green economy
roundtable is created to advise and assist the governor and
general assembly regarding activities
to advance the state’s economy, and to develop a
statewide action plan as provided under section
23-84-4. The task force shall
be appointed no later than July 30, 2010, and consist of:
(1) The governor of
the State of
(2) Three (3) members
of the house of representatives, including one member
of the
minority party appointed by the speaker and the speaker
her/himself;
(3) Three (3) members
of the senate, including one member of the minority party and the
senate President her/himself;
(4) Six (6)
representatives from state agencies and institutions appointed by the governor,
including one member from the economic development corporation,
one member from the
department of labor and training, one member from the office of
energy resources, one member
from the
one member from the department of environmental
management;
(5) Three (3) public
members appointed by the governor, including one member
representing the manufacturing industry, one member representing a
statewide organization
dedicated to commerce, and one member representing a statewide
organization dedicated to
agriculture;
(6) Four (4) public
members appointed by the speaker of the house of
representatives,
including one member representing labor, one member
representing a statewide environmental
organization, one member representing financial institutions or
venture capital, and one member
from a local economic development authority from
(7) Four (4) public
members appointed by the senate president, including one member
from a local economic development authority from the
metropolitan area, one member from a
statewide organization dedicated to furthering the green
economy, one member from a firm
currently engaged in green manufacturing, and one local
workforce development representative
from an area that has experienced significant
manufacturing job loss.
23-85-4. Duties of the green economy
roundtable. -- (a) By January 15, 2011, the
green
economy roundtable shall develop and present to the general
assembly and to the governor a
statewide action plan to optimize the growth of the green
economy.
(b) The plan shall
include necessary draft legislation, budget requests and recommended
financing agreements and may include administrative actions of
governmental entities,
collaborative actions, and actions of individuals and individual
organizations. The plan must be
developed following the analysis described in this paragraph
and must be based on the analysis.
The analysis must include:
(1) A market analysis
of the green business opportunities and needs created by the laws
enumerated in subsection (a), including local, state, national,
and international markets;
(2) An analysis of
the labor force needs related to the market analysis opportunities,
including educational, training, and retraining needs; and
(3) An inventory of
the current labor and business assets available to respond to the
opportunities.
(4) An inventory of
"energy improvement" projects within this state including
"energy
project studies" for recommended projects.
23-85-5. Expiration.
-- The task force shall expire on July 30, 2011.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage and shall
expire on July 30, 2011.
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LC01126
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