 | | Photo by Chutze Chou |
BOSTON - Tuesday, August 16, 2022 -
Mayor Michelle Wu today announced she intends to file legislation to
give Boston the local option to set building standards eliminating the use
of fossil fuels for new developments and major renovations in Boston. Under
the provisions of the state’s recently enacted Bill H.5060,
An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind, the submission of this Home Rule Petition
would make the City of Boston eligible to apply to participate in a
10-municipality pilot program administered by the Massachusetts Department
of Energy Resources. The pilot allows cities and towns to develop local
ordinances that restrict or prohibit new building construction or major
renovation projects that use fossil fuels, including through the
withholding or conditioning of building permits. The City will launch a
community and stakeholder engagement process to define fossil fuel-free
building standards, determine applicability, and set the multi-year
timeline for phasing out the use of fossil fuels. Boston would join New
York City, Seattle and Washington, DC, as major North American cities
leading the transition to sustainable standards in development.
 | | Photo by Chutze Chou |
Boston must lead by taking every possible
step for climate action,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are eager
to carry out the intent of this state legislation and maximize its benefit
by including the Commonwealth’s largest city—Boston’s participation will
help deliver healthy, energy efficient spaces that save our residents and
businesses on utilities costs and create local green jobs that will fuel
our economy for decades.”
“The climate crisis requires us to abandon
the fossil fuels that are choking the planet and polluting our
communities,” said Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment,
Energy, and Open Space. "It is essential that the fossil-free
standards center the needs of environmental justice communities and
impacted workers. The Environment Department looks forward to the launch of
this community process to create a just transition to an economically
thriving, equitable, and Green New Deal Boston.”
“Today’s announcement is a wonderful first
step to getting fossil fuels out of buildings,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia,
Green New Deal Director. “This is complex and I’m so delighted that we
are going through an in-depth, public process to get this right. We are
getting at the heart of the climate crisis by centering equity and
developing a model that can be a catalyst for economic change.”
To develop local, fossil fuel-free standards
that promote economic opportunity for workers and residents, Boston will
convene an Advisory Committee made up of stakeholders with expertise in
environmental justice, affordable housing, labor and workers’ rights,
building engineering and energy, healthcare and public health, real estate
development and management, architecture and urban design, and distributed
energy systems. The Advisory Committee will anchor a months-long community
process to establish definitions, criteria for applicability, and the
timeline to prioritize the complementary goals of decarbonization, housing
affordability, equity and a just transition for workers. After consulting
with the Advisory Committee, Mayor Wu will then file a local fossil
fuel-free building ordinance with the Boston City Council.
“Implementing meaningful environmental
regulations will propel us toward our 2050 carbon neutral goal and Boston's
participation in this pilot would allow us the opportunity to prove that
clean energy can be accessible and affordable on a large scale,” said Councilor
Kendra Lara. “I look forward to continued collaboration with labor
leaders as we collectively steward an ordinance through the City Council.”
On-site combustion of fossil fuels in
buildings accounts for more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions in
Boston, contributing to global climate change and local air pollution that
disproportionately impacts low-income residents and communities of color in
Boston. Research shows there is little-to-no cost
increase for building efficient and fossil fuel-free multi-family housing.
This standard delivers the long-term benefits of improved air quality,
lower energy costs, reduced carbon emissions and enhanced thermal comfort
to residents.
Through this pilot program, the City of
Boston plans to demonstrate a model for an equitable transition to fossil
fuel-free construction in New England. Notably, setting this standard would
allow Boston to eliminate direct emissions in new construction in smaller
buildings, where it’s known how to build to a net-zero standard that
creates immediate cost savings and health benefits for residents.
"The BPDA is proud to support this
important work with the Zero Net Carbon Building Initiative, which in
partnership with this pilot program, will strengthen efficiency standards
across the board," said Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison.
"We applaud the Mayor’s action today to further establish Boston as a
national leader on decarbonizing building practices, and look forward to
working together to ensure a greener city for all."
The City will design the policy to
complement ongoing decarbonization initiatives, centering
environmental justice and equity. The City is already leading by example in
its own construction initiatives, having adopted a zero net carbon standard
for new municipal buildings and for City-funded affordable housing
development. The City is also advancing proposed zero-net carbon zoning for
larger buildings, coordinating with the state on the proposed updates to
the statewide stretch energy code to ensure strong efficiency standards are
at the core of the building decarbonization strategy, and continuing
community engagement around regulations development for the Building
Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, which requires existing mid-
to large-sized buildings to reduce their emissions gradually to net zero by
2050.
"The Sierra Club commends Mayor Wu for
taking this initial step to require new buildings and major renovations in
Boston to be fossil-fuel free. With buildings accounting for roughly 70
percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, we must target new
buildings as some of the lowest hanging fruit, to achieve zero emissions
through equitable electrification,” said Michele Brooks, Lead
Boston Organizer with the Massachusetts Sierra Club. “This action has
the potential to significantly improve air quality - creating healthier
buildings to live and work in, and lower energy costs through increased
efficiency. It is a win-win for the climate and our communities."
“The Wu Administration has unequivocally
proven its commitment to a Green New Deal for Boston through multiple
policies rooted in equity and just transition, said Cabell Eames,
Political Director at Better Future Project. “As a result of that
leadership, Boston is equally suited to pilot a fossil-free ban on new
construction, joining other cities and towns in leading decarbonization
efforts for the state.”
The proposed home rule petition expands upon the Wu administration’s
commitment to delivering a just transition and a Green New Deal for Boston,
centering community priorities in all proposed policies and regulations.
Mayor Wu previously announced efforts
to electrify the city’s fleet, launching an electric school bus pilot program, deploying
20 buses during the 2022-2023 school year. She also recently announced the
Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools (BPS), a $2 billion
plan to overhaul BPS facilities, including new construction and renovation projects, as
well as district-wide upgrades. Additionally, Mayor Wu announced the launch of the
Solarize Eastie pilot program to increase solar panel installation and onsite
battery storage in East Boston. Alongside the Public Works Department, she
also announced the City’s
curbside food waste collection program. This program will reduce the City’s
reliance on landfills and incinerators, and make it more convenient for Boston
residents to dispose of their household food waste. In July the BPDA
adopted a decarbonization strategy for all agency property.
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