Sec. 16. 10 MRSA §1414-A, as amended by PL 1989, c. 501, Pt. DD, §23, is further amended to read:

§1414-A. Adoption of energy performance building standards by

state agencies

Energy performance building standards adopted by state agencies shall must be coordinated with each other, as far as practicable, so that similar activities and buildings are treated in a similar way. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development commission shall assist other state agencies in developing energy standards which that comply with this section.

Sec. 17. 10 MRSA §1415-C, sub-§§4 to 6, as amended by PL 1991, c. 824, Pt. A, §14, are further amended to read:

4. Waiver. A waiver from subsection 3 may be granted by the commissioner commission on a case-by-case basis for instances of renovation as defined by section 1413, subsection 15. In regards to the renovation of historic buildings, a waiver is granted when the Executive Director of the State Historic Preservation Commission determines that adherence to the energy building standards would result in irreparable damage to the historic character of a building on the National Register of Historic Places, eligible for nomination to the national register or designated as a historic building by a certified municipal historic preservation ordinance. In other instances, such as the rebuilding of a structure damaged by fire or a historic preservation project when maintaining historic character is not an issue, the commissioner commission may grant a waiver when it can be shown that the additional cost of meeting the energy building standards would make the building renovation economically infeasible.

5. Waiver decision. The commissioner commission shall render a decision on an application for a waiver from the standards within 30 days of the receipt by the commissioner commission of a complete application for a waiver. In rendering a decision, the commissioner commission may place conditions upon the granting of a waiver. Failure on the part of the commissioner commission to render a decision within the 30-day period constitutes approval of the request for the waiver.

6. Waiver application. A request for a waiver under subsection 4 must be submitted to the Department of Economic and Community Development commission in writing and must contain the location of the renovation, the intended use of the building and