On February 25, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko gave in person testimony on behalf of Sarah Sample on HB 870 – Maryland Building Performance Standards – Energy Conservation Requirements (Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act) in support with amendments.
This bill requires new county buildings, that are subject to the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) as set by the Maryland Department of the Environment, to comply with new minimum standards set forth in HB 870.
As Maryland implements BEPS under the Climate Solutions Now Act, counties are committed partners in advancing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation takes a thoughtful step by applying new minimum standards to newly constructed county buildings, recognizing the financial and practical challenges of retrofitting older facilities.
However, because local governments operate critical infrastructure — including 24/7 public safety and detention facilities with unique operational demands — targeted amendments are needed to ensure that essential emergency services are not compromised by standards designed primarily for conventional administrative buildings.
The specificity of the provisions in HB 870 recognize that not all
buildings are the same. Additionally, there is great variability in a local government’s capacity to adopt certain energy standards for all qualifying buildings, old and new. With this wise framing in mind, counties would like to propose an amendment to HB 870 that would extend that perspective to local government buildings that comprise critical infrastructure, by exempting them from BEPS standards, due to the stark difference in their structure, demands, and necessity.
HB 870 was heard in the opposite chamber, the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, on March 31. MACo submitted written testimony in support of this bill with amendments.
