Lawmakers introduce legislation aimed at saving energy

Lawmakers aiming to increase energy efficiency introduced "common-sense, consensus" legislation Thursday to retrofit state buildings, encourage utilities to become more energy-efficient and ask voters to approve bonds to help governments go "green."

The proposals emerged from a year-long discussion among members of a global warming commission appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe.

If passed into law, the measures would "put Arkansas at the forefront of Southern states in energy efficiency and job creation," said Rep. Kathy Webb, D-Little Rock, who sponsored the 2007 legislation creating the commission.

Webb said her bill would create a timetable to gradually retrofit state buildings to improve energy savings. House Bill 1663 is modeled on a North Carolina law, Webb said, adding that North Carolina exceeded its projected savings.

Rep. Joan Cash, D-Jonesboro, said her legislation will require the Public Service Commission to set a one-year deadline for utilities to expand existing electric and gas utility energyefficiency programs.

House Bill 1677 requires utilities each year to demonstrate energy savings equaling at least 1 percent of the total electricity sales or one-half of the total gas sales in the state. The savings would be based on a three-year sales average.

A referred act would ask voters to approve a proposal to allow the Arkansas Development Finance Authority to issue energy-saving bonds to state agencies. Another proposal would be a constitutional amendment that would clarify that local, county and state governments may enter into energy-savings contracts.

Up to $300 million in bonds could be issued to allow the state to undertake energy cost-saving projects, said Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant.

Broadway's proposed constitutional amendment is Senate Joint Resolution 6. The bond-issuing referred act is Senate Bill 584.

Broadway and Webb said it's unclear how much of the federal stimulus money can be used for such proposals.

Part of the education portion of the stimulus could be used to retrofit school buildings to make them greener, Broadway said.

The energy industry has seen the legislation and is expected to support it, Webb said.