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SB 778

An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, in city revitalization and improvement zones, further providing for approval.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Dave Argall and 3 co-sponsors

Excludes agricultural buildings (including greenhouses) from BEPS coverage and exemption paperwork, easing compliance for farm operators.

Referred to Community, Economic & Recreational Development
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 778

SB 778 — Environment — Building Energy Performance Standards — Agricultural Buildings

Status: Withdrawn by sponsor (introduced Feb 21, 2025)

Purpose

SB 778 would amend the state building energy performance standards (BEPS) statutory framework to treat agricultural buildings (including greenhouses) as outside the scope of the BEPS exemption application process. The bill’s stated intent is to stop the Department of the Environment from requiring owners, lessors, lessees, or operators of agricultural buildings to apply for an exemption from the BEPS requirements or to submit documentation to prove exemption eligibility.

Key provisions

  • Definition
    • Adds/clarifies that “agricultural building” means a structure used primarily to cultivate, manufacture, process, or produce agricultural crops, raw materials, products, or commodities. The definition explicitly includes greenhouses.
  • Covered-building exclusion
    • Confirms that a “covered building” (subject to BEPS) does not include an agricultural building.
  • Prohibition on exemption applications/documentation
    • Prohibits the Department of the Environment from requiring an owner, lessor, lessee, or operator of an agricultural building to apply to the Department for an exemption from the BEPS requirements, including submission of any documentation as proof of exemption eligibility.
  • Contextual provisions retained in the BEPS statute (existing text retained/unchanged in the bill):
    • Statutory performance targets for covered buildings: 20% reduction in net direct GHG emissions by Jan 1, 2030 (vs. 2025 average) and net‑zero direct GHG emissions by Jan 1, 2040.
    • Annual reporting requirement for owners of covered buildings to measure and report direct emissions beginning in 2025.
    • Department rulemaking requirements (regulations to implement the program) and an alternative compliance pathway allowing payment of fees for unmet targets, with fees not to be set below the social cost of greenhouse gases.
    • Requirement that electric and gas utilities provide whole‑building/aggregate energy data to owners of covered buildings for benchmarking.
    • Clarification that emissions/energy from certain commercial tenants (food service/commercial cooking) may be excluded when calculating statewide standards.

Who would be affected

  • Primary: Owners, lessors, lessees, and operators of agricultural buildings (including greenhouse operators) in the state — these entities would not be required to apply for BEPS exemptions or provide supporting documentation under the proposed change.
  • Secondary: Department of the Environment — shifts the Department’s administrative role with respect to agricultural building exemptions and documentation.
  • Utilities — continued obligation to provide energy data to owners of covered buildings (agricultural buildings are excluded from “covered building” status).
  • Statewide BEPS program and emissions accounting — agricultural buildings would be explicitly excluded from covered-building requirements and the exemption application process.

Timeline and procedural status

  • Introduced: Feb 21, 2025 (bill metadata lists this date).
  • The bill text includes an effective date clause (would take effect July 1, 2025) if enacted.
  • Current status provided: Withdrawn by sponsor (indicating the bill did not advance to enactment in this session).

Potential implications

  • Reduces administrative burden on the agricultural sector by removing an application/documentation step for BEPS exemptions.
  • Limits the Department’s ability to require documentation from agricultural building operators, which may reduce regulatory oversight of emissions or energy usage from those buildings.
  • By excluding agricultural buildings from the “covered building” category, the proposal could affect statewide BEPS coverage and accounting for building-related emissions; however, the statutory BEPS targets and pathways for covered buildings remain unchanged for non-agricultural covered buildings.

Note: The source materials provided include mixed metadata from multiple jurisdictions and drafts. This summary focuses on the substantive provisions in the bill titled “Environment — Building Energy Performance Standards — Agricultural Buildings” as provided above and notes that the bill was withdrawn by its sponsor.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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