Hearing on embodied‑carbon standards draws industry split and environmental justice support
HB 2273 would require embodied carbon reduction standards for large building projects via three compliance paths (reuse, product EPD coverage, or whole‑building life‑cycle assessment) and a 30% reduction target tied to the 2030 code. Architects, community groups and Commerce supported the bill; aggregate and concrete industry groups opposed mandatory reductions and raised supply‑chain and EPD comparability concerns.
The full story
Committee staff described House Bill 22 73 as a bill to reduce embodied carbon emissions of buildings and building materials by directing the State Building Code Council to adopt standards and rules and by providing three compliance pathways: (1) building reuse that preserves at least 45% of an existing structure; (2) product‑level compliance where covered products (90% by product count) meet reduction requirements measured by global warming potential (EPDs); and (3) a whole building life cycle assessment compared to a functionally equivalent reference building. The bill would also allow a 30% reduction target for projects permitted under the 2030 state building code.
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