The General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island has passed a resolution requesting the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) to provide a comprehensive report on benchmarking and building performance standards. This report is to be delivered to the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, the President of the Rhode Island Senate, and members of the relevant House and Senate Committees. The report should include recommendations for implementing these standards for large buildings in Rhode Island, defined as those with at least 25,000 square feet of gross floor area, encompassing both public and private properties.
The requested report should cover several specific areas: a summary of the state's building sector emissions, an inventory of properties subject to the standards, data on current energy sources for large buildings, estimated costs for necessary retrofits to meet the standards, identification of responsible state agencies, resource and budget needs for implementation, and a recommended timeline for establishing and implementing the standards. Additionally, the EC4 is encouraged to hold public meetings and listening sessions to incorporate stakeholder input into the report. The resolution sets a deadline for the EC4 to submit the report by February 15, 2025, and mandates that it be made available on the EC4's website. The Secretary of State is directed to send a certified copy of the resolution to the EC4.