Page 60 - Green Builder May-June 2017 Issue

CODE ARENA

The Latest Rules, Regulations and Codes Impacting Sustainable Construction

A Legislation Grab Bag

It was a busy spring for green activity among state governments. What’s next?

MINNESOTA

Rule review. A pair of bills under review by Minnesota’s state legislature would monitor the impact of new regulations on residential
construction costs.
BY MIKE COLLIGNON
implementation of a proposed rule, or any portion of a proposed
PRING MAY BE OVER, but there’s no summer vacation yet for rule, will, on average, increase the cost of residential construction
lawmakers, who are hard at work on a slew of bills, regulations or remodeling by $1,000 or more per unit.” House File 1001 and
and hearings on environmental and coding issues. Here are Senate File 745 go on to state that if the regulation does result
Ssome of the key topics under consideration: in costs exceeding $1,000, the agency making that determination
must notify the appropriate House and Senate committee members
HIGHER CONSTRUCTION COSTS COULD COME within 10 days.
UNDER SCRUTINY IN MINNESOTA The bills, which are still in their respective legislative chambers,
There are identical bills in the Minnesota House and Senate only consider the costs, and are silent on the savings of a proposed
that would require that an unnamed state agency “determine if rule. If passed, this new methodology would go into effect on Aug. 1.

58 GREEN BUILDER May/June 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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