P.R. Laws tit. 22, § 1053a

2019-02-20 00:00:00+00
§ 1053a. Energy savings in the Legislative Assembly

(a) It shall be the duty and responsibility of the Legislative Assembly to implement strategies aimed at reducing electric power consumption in offices and facilities under its jurisdiction. To such ends, the Legislative Assembly shall take any actions and measures geared toward reducing the annual consumption of electric power, taking into account the savings percentage stated below:

(1) In the first year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be two percent (2%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(2) In the second year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be three percent (3%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(3) In the third year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be five percent (5%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(4) In the fourth year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be seven percent (7%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(5) In the fifth year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be eight percent (8%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(6) In the sixth year of effectiveness of this act, savings shall be ten percent (10%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(7) As of the seventh year of effectiveness of this act and henceforth, savings shall be twelve percent (12%) of the baseline energy consumption which shall be the energy usage corresponding to fiscal year 2012-13, based on kilowatt-hours consumed, according to PREPA’s records.

(b) Noncompliance with the Energy Savings Plan.— Within a term that shall not exceed one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of approval of this act, the Legislative Assembly shall complete an inventory of all connections to the electric power system serving it and the offices serviced by each electrical connection. The Legislative Assembly shall establish, through an executive order issued by the presiding officers of both Houses, the offices which shall be responsible for each connection. The offices thus charged with each connection shall be responsible for the meeting the savings goals established in this section. The inventory of connections shall be published on the websites of the House of Representatives and the Senate of Puerto Rico. Any office of the Legislative Assembly that fails to comply with the savings percentage rate established in subsection (a) of this section shall have, as penalty, a budgetary cut on the following fiscal year. The budgetary cut shall be equal to the amount of the usage, measured in kilowatt-hours, in excess of the savings percentage rate established in subsection (a) for that particular year, multiplied by the electricity rate charged by the electric power supplier for July of the previous year.

(c) Every six (6) months, the offices of the Legislative Assembly shall publish an itemization of their energy consumption and how the same compares with the savings projections required under subsection (a) of this section. At the beginning of each fiscal year, it shall also publish a comparative chart on energy consumption for the previous three (3) years, as well as a list of the initiatives that were implemented to comply with the energy savings mandate set forth in this section. This information shall be published on the website of each office of the Legislative Assembly and shall also be submitted to the Commission.

(d) Cases and disputes involving noncompliance by the Legislative Assembly or any of its offices with the duties and obligations established in this section shall be brought before the General Court of Justice.

History —May 27, 2014, No. 57, § 4.2.