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Bill

S 7998

Enacts the "low-carbon building construction act"

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Cordell Cleare and 1 co-sponsor

Establish rules to cut embodied carbon in buildings and materials, requiring lifecycle assessments and preferential use of low-carbon materials for public projects.

PRINT NUMBER 7998A
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 7998

Summary of Bill S 7998 — Relates to reducing the embodied carbon emissions of buildings and building materials

Purpose and intent

  • The bill aims to reduce embodied carbon emissions associated with buildings and the materials used in their construction. Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions released during material production, transport, and construction, as opposed to operational emissions from energy use.

Status and procedural context

  • Introduced: May 15, 2025
  • Current status: REFERRED to the Housing, Construction and Community Development committee
  • Legislative actions on file:
    • 2025-05-15: REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
    • 2025-05-15: (duplicate entry) REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
  • Sponsor: Brian Kavanagh (primary)
  • Related/d companion bill: A 8456 (listed as a companion)

What is publicly known about the bill

  • The title indicates the bill’s core objective is to establish measures aimed at lowering embodied carbon in buildings and construction materials. The exact provisions, definitions, and mechanisms are not provided in the available information.

Potential provisions you might expect (not yet confirmed in the text)

If enacted, bills of this scope commonly include elements such as:
- Definitions and standards
- Clear definitions of embodied carbon, life-cycle assessment (LCA), and related terms.
- Requirements for state and/or local projects
- Requirements to use low-carbon materials or to conduct LCAs for major public capital projects.
- Lifecycle assessment and reporting
- Mandatory LCAs for specified products or building projects, with reporting to a state registry.
- Material procurement and performance thresholds
- Preference or mandatory use of low-carbon materials (e.g., recycled content, low-emission cement, steel, timber).
- Compliance timelines
- Effective dates, phased timelines for adoption, and transitional provisions.
- Exemptions and flexibility
- Possible exemptions for small projects, cost-prohibitive cases, or regional supply constraints.
- Funding and administration
- Appropriations for program administration, incentives, or technical guidance; roles for state agencies.
- Enforcement and oversight
- Penalties or penalties avoidance mechanisms, audit requirements, and enforcement authority.

Affected parties and impact

  • Likely affected: public sector building agencies, private developers and construction firms, material manufacturers and suppliers, designers and engineers, and local governments.
  • Potential impacts: could increase upfront construction planning requirements, influence material sourcing and design choices, spur market development for low-carbon materials, and potentially affect project costs and timelines. Over the medium term, may drive innovation and reduce lifecycle emissions of built environments.

Next steps and tracking

  • To understand the full scope, text of the bill and any amendments are needed. Monitor committee hearings and floor action in the sponsor’s chamber.
  • Related companion A 8456 may provide parallel or consolidated language; reviewing both bills will clarify intent and provisions.

If you’d like, I can incorporate any available text from the bill or companion language to produce a more detailed, provision-by-provision summary.

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

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