March 12, 2009

COMMITTEE APPROVES RIBLE MEASURE TO REDUCE NEW JERSEY’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND UTILITY BILLS LEGISLATION WOULD REQUIRE NEW STATE BUILDINGS TO INCLUDE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS WHERE FEASIBLE

The Assembly State Government Committee unanimously approved today a measure that would require state government to install renewable energy systems, whenever feasible, on new construction.

“This is a concrete step toward reducing state government’s electricity usage, which will lower our utility bills and lessen our impact on the environment,” said Assemblyman David Rible, R-Monmouth, who sponsors the measure.

The measure, A-3701, would require solar or geothermal energy sources to offset heating, cooling and electric costs in new state-building construction where feasible.

According to the state’s Energy Master Plan, state government, which occupies space in more than 4,000 buildings, spends roughly $171 million annually on electricity, consuming seven trillion BTUs and emitting 739,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“Any dent we can make in those numbers benefits our state’s finances and the environment,” Rible said. “This is a common-sense approach, which anyone can support, toward our state’s goals of reducing our carbon footprint.”