WHB/6/9
Sponsored by Jing Cao, Nick Chen, Liangqi Wang of Lausanne Collegiate School
This legislation was filed in the Environment and Conservation category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE |
| 2 | Definitions |
| 3 | a. Renewable Energy: Renewable energy, green energy, or low-carbon energy is energy from |
| 4 | renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. Renewable resources |
| 5 | include sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable |
| 6 | energy sources are sustainable, some are not. ( Wikipedia) |
| 7 | b. State Facilities: State facility means any building, structure, or other improvement that is |
| 8 | constructed on property owned by the state, its departments, commissions, institutions, or |
| 9 | agencies, or a state institution of higher education.(Law Insider) |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Mandate |
| 12 | a. All new state facilities after the effective date of this Act must use renewable energy systems to |
| 13 | meet at least 50% of annual energy consumption. |
| 14 | b. Existing state facilities must undergo energy audits by 2029 for potential retrofit projects to |
| 15 | utilize renewable energy sources and convert at least 30% of energy consumption to renewable |
| 16 | energy sources by 2029. |
| 17 | Fiscal Line Items |
| 18 | Implementation of the bill, including audits, installation and modifications, is expected to cost |
| 19 | $75,000,000 over five years. The cost will be allocated from the general state budget and |
| 20 | supplemented by any available federal grants or subsidies for renewable energy projects. The |
| 21 | Tennessee Department of Energy will oversee the allocation and use of these funds. |
| 22 | Implement incentives |
| 23 | The state will provide incentives for efficient and timely implementation of renewable energy |
| 24 | projects at state facilities, including: |
| 25 | A. Tax incentives for contractors and suppliers specializing in renewable energy installations. |
| 26 | b. Provide grants and subsidies to state facilities that meet minimum required percentages of |
| 27 | renewable energy use. |
| 28 | Monitoring and Reporting |
| 29 | The Tennessee Department of Energy oversees the implementation of the act. Annual reports will |
| 30 | be submitted to the Legislature detailing progress, expenditures, and projected savings on the |
| 31 | transition to renewable energy. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | Repeal Clause |
| 34 | All laws or parts of laws that conflict with the provisions of this law are repealed. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | Effective Date |
| 37 | The bill will take effect on January 1, [year] to allow sufficient time for state agencies to plan and |
| 38 | comply. |
| 39 |