Senator Dave Cortese Announces “Building Decarbonization” Package to Mandate Zero-Emission Standards for New Construction Statewide

Newly sworn-in State Senator Dave Cortese, representing the heart of Silicon Valley, announced a bold plan to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in new construction statewide on his first day in office.

The climate resiliency package includes four bills that could revolutionize California’s building and construction sector which accounts for roughly 40% of our carbon emissions, including the first bill in history asking the State to divest from projects that are not zero-emission.

  • Senate Bill (SB) 30, the “State Buildings and Assets Decarbonization Act of 2021” mandates that State buildings and assets achieve carbon-neutrality by 2035 and that the State divest from projects that are not zero emission by 2023. Beginning in 2022, all newly designed and constructed state buildings must be zero emission.
     
  • SB 31, the “Decarbonization Programs Act” would develop new building decarbonization programs through the California Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, with a particular emphasis on providing opportunities for low-income customers.
     
  • SB 32, the “Decarbonization Act of 2021” would require all cities and counties in California to update their General Plans with objectives, targets, and policies to fully decarbonize their building stock.
     
  • Honoring the legacy of his father Dominic Cortese, who served in the State Legislature in the 1980’s and 90’s, Cortese introduced SB 37, the Dominic Cortese “Cortese List” Act of 2021, which updates and revitalizes the Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites List, or the “Cortese List (AB 3750)”, that his father authored in 1986.

These bills will assist in municipalities’ planning and implementation of new targets that will be coming out in the 2021 California Energy Commission Building Energy Efficiency Report.

Drawing from his experience as a founding Board Member of Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the community-owned provider of carbon-free electricity for Silicon Valley, Cortese says he looks to his own district as a model for what action the State should take.

“Silicon Valley has proven that decarbonized, all-electric buildings cost less to build, require less infrastructure, and provide more value to builders as well as customers,” said Senator Cortese. “California must commit to the rapid decarbonization of our buildings to remain a global leader in the face of our climate crisis.”

Over 40 cities and counties in California have already updated their building codes to rely solely on clean energy including the City of San Jose, which banned gas in new construction last week.

With a long track record in clean energy policies, this package builds on Cortese’s work on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors where he championed carbon-free building codes, carbon farming, and other climate restoration initiatives.

For more information, contact Tara Sreekrishnan, Office of Senator Dave Cortese at 408 480 7833 or tara.sreekrishnan@sen.ca.gov.