Boston Eliminates Use Of Fossil Fuels

An Executive Order states that new constructions and major renovations of city buildings will be fossil fuel-free

The City of Boston has signed an executive order (EO) eliminating use of fossil fuels in new construction and major renovations of city buildings. The functions of the EO will take immediate effect, exempting projects currently in procurement, design, or construction.

In Boston, municipal emissions constitute 2.3 per cent of all of the city’s carbon emissions, and over 70 per cent of emissions are from buildings. Through the executive order, the city reports it is leveraging the opportunity to ensure every new capital investment in new construction or major renovation project catalyses the decarbonisation of Boston’s building sector by constructing or retrofitting buildings to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in building operations.

“Week after week, we see the signs of extreme heat, storms, and flooding that remind us of a closing window to take climate action,” said Michelle Wu, mayor of Boston. “The benefits of embracing fossil fuel-free infrastructure in our city hold no boundary across industries and communities, and Boston will continue using every possible tool to build the green, clean, healthy, and prosperous future our city deserves.”

According to the city, the executive order puts in place a clear path to decarbonising its building portfolio. As the owner of over 16 million square feet of property, the city’s commitment to fossil fuel free buildings will add substantial demand to the many trades and professions that are part of the green building ecosystem.

The city claims it will lead by example with its own buildings, and will contribute to the creation of new jobs in the building trades as well as building design and maintenance, expanding local opportunities to strengthen workforce development programmes, apprenticeships and other training pipelines for Boston residents to gain access to high-quality employment in the building sector.

“As part of the Green New Deal for Boston, we are taking an all-of-government approach, finding ways for our cabinets and departments to play a role in climate action,” added Oliver Sellers-Garcia, director Green New Deal. “This executive order directs and empowers the operations cabinet and facilities managers across the city to lead the decarbonisation of our building portfolio. In addition to new buildings, this order applies to major renovations because, often, the most sustainable way to make a green building is not to start from scratch.”

With the implementation of the EO, all new buildings will be planned, designed, and constructed so that HVAC, hot water, and cooking systems will not combust or directly connect to fossil fuels for all municipal buildings. In addition to applying to all new buildings, it also impacts alterations where structural work is planned in 75 per cent or more of the building’s square footage. Any project that replaces a building’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning or hot water system, or cooking equipment must eliminate fossil fuel combustion in the affected system.

The executive order seeks to improve public health and save the city money. Highly efficient fossil fuel-free buildings create immediate health benefits for building occupants by improving indoor air quality, increasing resilience, and lessening the symptoms of existing respiratory and other health conditions.

Municipal energy costs

These buildings will also be cost-effective to operate in the long run, reducing municipal energy costs and creating cost savings that can be reinvested in local municipal services. To support the implementation, the operations cabinet will be launching a facilities condition assessment that will identify decarbonisation projects. The FY 24-29 capital plan includes approximately $132.5m for building design projects that will advance decarbonisation.

Signing this executive order complements the work of the city’s building emissions reduction and disclosure ordinance (Berdo). This ordinance sets emissions standards for large existing buildings, requiring all covered buildings, including municipal buildings, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.