A-3103 Scheduled for Further Consideration by Senate as New Jersey Moves Closer to Priority Permitting

As previously reported here and here, the New Jersey Senate has been considering Assembly Bill 3103, which would allow for priority permitting of green building projects. The bill received a second reading in November, and passed with minor amendments. My sources in Trenton (i.e., the publicly available Legislative Calendar on the New Jersey Legislature’s website) indicate that A-3103 has been scheduled for consideration at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 9.

A-3103, which has already received two readings in the Senate, would obligate municipal agencies, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation, and Department of Community Affairs to prioritize green building projects. Any such projects must be “designed to be constructed to:” (1) be certified to at least LEED Silver; (2) qualify as Energy Star; (3) achieve at least a two globe rating under Green Globes; (4) achieve at least a silver certification under the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard; or (5) “achieve a comparable rating according to a nationally recognized, accepted, and appropriate green development rating system…” All applications for development seeking priority status must be accompanied by a letter from an architect or engineer identifying the rating system being used as the basis of the priority application.

Stay tuned for further developments on this legislation.