Senate Bill No. 22–Senator Townsend

 

Prefiled January 11, 2001

 

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Referred to Committee on Government Affairs

 

SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to retrofitting of governmental buildings for energy efficiency. (BDR 28‑288)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: No.

                                    Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

 

AN ACT relating to public works; increasing the total amount of money that may be committed beyond the biennium for all contracts for retrofitting state buildings for energy efficiency; authorizing a state or local agency whose building has been retrofitted for energy efficiency to use money saved from such retrofitting to purchase electricity from renewable energy systems; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1.  NRS 338.1906 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2    338.1906  1.  Upon request by or consultation with an officer or

1-3  employee of the state who is responsible for the budget of a department,

1-4  board, commission, agency or other entity of the state, the appropriate

1-5  energy retrofit coordinator may request the approval of the state board of

1-6  examiners to advertise a request for proposals to retrofit a building, or any

1-7  portion thereof, that is occupied by the department, board, commission,

1-8  agency or other entity, to make the use of energy in the building, or portion

1-9  thereof, more efficient.

1-10    2.  Upon approval of the state board of examiners, the coordinator shall

1-11  prepare a request for proposals for the retrofitting of one or more buildings,

1-12  or any portion thereof, which includes:

1-13    (a) The name and location of the coordinator;

1-14    (b) A brief description of the requirements for the initial audit of the use

1-15  of energy and the retrofitting;

1-16    (c) Where and how specifications of the requirements for the initial

1-17  audit of the use of energy and the retrofitting may be obtained;


2-1    (d) The date and time not later than which proposals must be received

2-2  by the coordinator; and

2-3    (e) The date and time when responses will be opened.

2-4    3.  The request for proposals must be published in at least one

2-5  newspaper of general circulation in the state.

2-6    4.  After receiving the proposals but before making a decision on the

2-7  proposals, the coordinator shall consider:

2-8    (a) The best interests of the state;

2-9    (b) The experience and financial stability of the persons submitting the

2-10  proposals;

2-11    (c) Whether the proposals conform with the terms of the request for

2-12  proposals;

2-13    (d) The prices of the proposals; and

2-14    (e) Any other factor disclosed in the request for proposals.

2-15    5.  The coordinator shall determine the relative weight of each factor

2-16  before a request for proposals is advertised. The weight of each factor must

2-17  not be disclosed before the date proposals are required to be submitted to

2-18  the coordinator.

2-19    6.  After reviewing the proposals, if the coordinator determines that

2-20  sufficient energy could be saved to justify retrofitting the building or

2-21  buildings, or portion thereof, the coordinator shall select the best proposal

2-22  and request the approval of the board of examiners to award the contract.

2-23  The request for approval must include the proposed method of financing

2-24  the audit and retrofit, which may include an installment contract, a shared

2-25  savings contract or any other contract for a reasonable financing

2-26  arrangement. Such a contract may commit the state to make payments

2-27  beyond the biennium in which the contract is executed, but the interest due

2-28  on any debt created pursuant to this section must be paid at least

2-29  semiannually, payments must be made on the principal at least annually

2-30  and the debt must be fully repaid on or before May 1, 2013.

2-31    7.  Before approving a retrofit pursuant to this section, the state board

2-32  of examiners shall evaluate any projects that would utilize shared savings

2-33  as a method of payment or any method of financing that would commit the

2-34  state to make payments beyond the biennium in which the contract is

2-35  executed to ensure that:

2-36    (a) The amount of energy to be saved will likely justify the cost of the

2-37  retrofit;

2-38    (b) The state is likely to continue to occupy the building for the entire

2-39  period required to recoup the cost of the retrofit in energy savings; and

2-40    (c) The limitation set forth in subsection 9 will not be exceeded.

2-41    8.  Upon approval of the state board of examiners, the coordinator shall

2-42  execute the contract and notify:

2-43    (a) The state board of examiners of the total amount of money

2-44  committed by the contract per year; and

2-45    (b) Each officer or employee who is responsible for the budget of a

2-46  department, board, commission, agency or other entity which occupies a

2-47  portion of a building that will be retrofitted of the amount of money it will

2-48  be required to pay annually for its portion of the retrofit.


3-1    9.  The total amount of money committed beyond the biennium for all

3-2  contracts executed pursuant to this section must not exceed [$5,000,000]

3-3  $50,000,000 at any one time.

3-4    10.  The legislature hereby pledges that a tax will be levied to pay the

3-5  principal and interest on any indebtedness resulting from a contract

3-6  executed pursuant to this section as they become due if the required

3-7  payments will not be made by the entity that executed the contract from its

3-8  budgeted accounts and the proceeds from any such taxes are hereby

3-9  specially appropriated for this purpose.

3-10    11.  NRS 338.1385 does not apply to a project for which a request for

3-11  proposals is advertised and the contract is awarded pursuant to the

3-12  provisions of this section.

3-13    12.  The department, board, commission, agency or other entity of the

3-14  state whose building or portion of a building has been retrofitted

3-15  pursuant to this section may use an amount of money equal to the

3-16  savings realized by the entity because of such retrofitting to purchase

3-17  electricity from a renewable energy system.

3-18    13.  For the purposes of this section, all electricity that is saved as a

3-19  result of the installation by a provider of electricity of a measure that is

3-20  designed to make the use of energy more efficient shall be deemed to

3-21  have been generated and derived from renewable energy resources.

3-22    14.  As used in this section:

3-23    (a) “Renewable energy resources” means wind, solar, geothermal and

3-24  biomass energy resources in this state that are naturally regenerated.

3-25    (b) “Renewable energy system” means a system for the production of

3-26  energy in this state which uses renewable energy resources to produce

3-27  electricity or reduce the use of electricity and which was installed and

3-28  commenced operations after January 1, 1997.

3-29    Sec. 2.  NRS 338.1907 is hereby amended to read as follows:

3-30    338.1907  1.  The governing body of a local government may

3-31  designate one or more energy retrofit coordinators for the buildings

3-32  occupied by the local government.

3-33    2.  If such a coordinator is designated, upon request by or consultation

3-34  with an officer or employee of the local government who is responsible for

3-35  the budget of a department, board, commission or other entity of the local

3-36  government, the coordinator may request the approval of the governing

3-37  body to advertise a request for proposals to retrofit a building, or any

3-38  portion thereof, that is occupied by the department, board, commission or

3-39  other entity, to make the use of energy in the building, or portion thereof,

3-40  more efficient.

3-41    3.  Upon approval of the governing body, the coordinator shall prepare

3-42  a request for proposals for the retrofitting of one or more buildings, or any

3-43  portion thereof, which includes:

3-44    (a) The name and location of the coordinator;

3-45    (b) A brief description of the requirements for the initial audit of the use

3-46  of energy and the retrofitting;

3-47    (c) Where and how specifications of the requirements for the initial

3-48  audit of the use of energy and the retrofitting may be obtained;


4-1    (d) The date and time not later than which proposals must be received

4-2  by the coordinator; and

4-3    (e) The date and time when responses will be opened.

4-4    4.  The request for proposals must be published in at least one

4-5  newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the local

4-6  government is located.

4-7    5.  After receiving the proposals but before making a decision on the

4-8  proposals, the coordinator shall consider:

4-9    (a) The best interests of the local government;

4-10    (b) The experience and financial stability of the persons submitting the

4-11  proposals;

4-12    (c) Whether the proposals conform with the terms of the request for

4-13  proposals;

4-14    (d) The prices of the proposals; and

4-15    (e) Any other factor disclosed in the request for proposals.

4-16    6.  The coordinator shall determine the relative weight of each factor

4-17  before a request for proposals is advertised. The weight of each factor must

4-18  not be disclosed before the date proposals are required to be submitted to

4-19  the coordinator.

4-20    7.  After reviewing the proposals, if the coordinator determines that

4-21  sufficient energy could be saved to justify retrofitting the building or

4-22  buildings, or portion thereof, the coordinator shall select the best proposal

4-23  and request the approval of the governing body to award the contract. The

4-24  request for approval must include the proposed method of financing the

4-25  audit and retrofit, which may include an installment contract, a shared

4-26  savings contract or any other contract for a reasonable financing

4-27  arrangement. Such a contract may commit the local government to make

4-28  payments beyond the fiscal year in which the contract is executed or

4-29  beyond the terms of office of the governing body, or both.

4-30    8.  Before approving a retrofit pursuant to this section, the governing

4-31  body shall evaluate any projects that would utilize shared savings as a

4-32  method of payment or any method of financing that would commit the

4-33  local government to make payments beyond the fiscal year in which the

4-34  contract is executed or beyond the terms of office of the governing body to

4-35  ensure that:

4-36    (a) The amount of energy to be saved will likely justify the cost of the

4-37  retrofit; and

4-38    (b) The local government is likely to continue to occupy the building for

4-39  the entire period required to recoup the cost of the retrofit in energy

4-40  savings.

4-41    9.  Upon approval of the governing body, the coordinator shall execute

4-42  the contract and notify each officer or employee who is responsible for the

4-43  budget of a department, board, commission or other entity which occupies

4-44  a portion of a building that will be retrofitted of the amount of money it

4-45  will be required to pay annually for its portion of the retrofit.

4-46    10.  NRS 338.1385 and 338.143 do not apply to a project for which a

4-47  request for proposals is advertised and the contract is awarded pursuant to

4-48  the provisions of this section.


5-1    11.  The department, board, commission or other entity of the local

5-2  government whose building or portion of a building has been retrofitted

5-3  pursuant to this section may use an amount of money equal to the

5-4  savings realized by the entity because of such retrofitting to purchase

5-5  electricity from a renewable energy system.

5-6    12.  For the purposes of this section, all electricity that is saved as a

5-7  result of the installation by a provider of electricity of a measure that is

5-8  designed to make the use of energy more efficient shall be deemed to

5-9  have been generated and derived from renewable energy resources.

5-10    13.  As used in this section:

5-11    (a) “Renewable energy resources” means wind, solar, geothermal and

5-12  biomass energy resources in this state that are naturally regenerated.

5-13    (b) “Renewable energy system” means a system for the production of

5-14  energy in this state which uses renewable energy resources to produce

5-15  electricity or reduce the use of electricity and which was installed and

5-16  commenced operations after January 1, 1997.

5-17    Sec. 3.  This act becomes effective upon passage and approval and

5-18  expires by limitation on May 1, 2013.

 

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