PRINTER'S NO. 685
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 83
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, PROBST, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS, SANCHEZ,
KHAN, MAYES AND D. WILLIAMS, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE
PROTECTION, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to study and
2 issue a report on the feasibility and implementation of
3 methods and criteria for expanding construction requirements
4 to use more sustainable building products in State-funded and
5 private construction projects.
6 WHEREAS, The effects of climate change and global warming
7 threaten human well-being and planetary health; and
8 WHEREAS, Greenhouse gas emissions are and continue to be the
9 primary contributor to global warming; and
10 WHEREAS, The United States is the second-largest emitter of
11 greenhouse gas emissions, with a total share of 11.13% of global
12 emissions; and
13 WHEREAS, The United States has pledged to achieve net-zero
14 emissions no later than 2050 in order to mitigate the effects of
15 climate change; and
16 WHEREAS, In 2023, the United States, as a member of the
17 United Nations Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative,
18 pledged to adopt commitments to procure low-emission steel,
19 cement and concrete and to set emissions reduction thresholds to
 1 achieve net zero emissions in public buildings and built
2 infrastructure by 2050; and
3 WHEREAS, Building and construction contributes 37% of global
4 emissions for greenhouse gases; and
5 WHEREAS, Materials such as steel, concrete, asphalt and flat
6 glass contain high quantities of greenhouse gas emissions due to
7 the energy-intensive processes used to extract the raw materials
8 for these products; and
9 WHEREAS, It is estimated that 75% of global urban
10 infrastructure that will exist in 2050 has yet to be
11 constructed; and
12 WHEREAS, Global emissions can be cut by 70% to 80% through
13 the use of alternative production materials, industrializing
14 cement use and optimizing building design; and
15 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania, as a leader in energy in the United
16 States, emits nearly 1% of global emissions; and
17 WHEREAS, The largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in
18 Pennsylvania is the industrial sector, specifically industries
19 in cement manufacturing and iron and steel production; and
20 WHEREAS, As part of the Pennsylvania Priority Climate Action
21 Plan and its goal of industrial decarbonization, the Department
22 of Environmental Protection plans to support State level buy-
23 clean initiatives to help grow demand for low-carbon
24 construction materials in steel and cement; and
25 WHEREAS, There are many options for sustainable building
26 materials such as aerated concrete, recycled steel and glass,
27 reclaimed wood, straw bale, cork, rammed earth, earth blocks and
28 bamboo; and
29 WHEREAS, It is important to understand which sustainable
30 building materials would be suitable for infrastructure in
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 1 Pennsylvania; therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
3 State Government Commission to study and issue a report on the
4 feasibility and implementation of methods and criteria for
5 expanding construction requirements to use more sustainable
6 building products in State-funded and private construction
7 projects, and the projected direct and indirect cost savings or
8 increases for the requirements if adopted; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission issue a
10 report of its findings to the Environmental and Natural Resource
11 Protection Committee of the House of Representatives, the
12 Housing and Community Development Committee of the House of
13 Representatives and the Labor and Industry Committee of the
14 House of Representatives within 180 days of the adoption of this
15 resolution.
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