Boston Mayor Bans Fossil Fuels in Construction of New City-Owned Buildings

Michelle Wu says it's part of a commitment to climate action and to 'advance racial and economic justice'

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks during a news conference ahead of the 114th National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Convention, in Boston on June 27, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed an executive order on July 31 banning the use of fossil fuels in new construction and major renovation of city-owned buildings, as part of a commitment to climate action and to “advance racial and economic justice.”

The executive order, for which Ms. Wu teamed up with Green New Deal Director Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the Operations Cabinet, and local climate and labor advocates, went into effect immediately.

In a press release, the Democratic mayor said the ban on fossil fuels in new construction and major renovations is part of her commitment to accelerate climate action and will reduce emissions from Boston’s building sector while creating high-quality jobs.

The move will also make the buildings more cost-effective to operate in the long run, improve public health and quality of life, and “advance racial and economic justice,” according to Ms. Wu, who didn’t elaborate on that last goal.

“Week after week, we see the signs of extreme heat, storms, and flooding that remind us of a closing window to take climate action,” the mayor said in a statement. “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.”

Under Ms. Wu’s executive order, all new city-owned buildings in Boston, including schools, government offices, and public housing, must be planned, designed, and constructed without using natural gas and heating oil.

Ban to Expand

The order states that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), cooking systems such as stoves and ovens, and hot water apparatuses must not combust or directly connect to fossil fuels for all municipal buildings.

Additionally, the order states that renovations where structural work is planned in 75 percent or more of a building’s square footage must also not use fossil fuels.

“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 order states.

Mr. Sellers-Garcia said the executive order also applies to major renovations because “often, the most sustainable way to make a green building is not to start from scratch.”

Although the order went into effect immediately, meaning that future city-owned building projects will need to comply with the new rules, all projects currently in procurement, design, or construction are exempt.

However, Ms. Wu, who in January pledged to decarbonize city buildings during her State of the City address, said she is also hoping to ban fossil fuels in new residential building projects throughout Boston at a later date.

‘Major Undertaking’

According to Ms. Wu’s office, municipal emissions constitute 2.3 percent of all of Boston’s carbon emissions, and more than 70 percent of the city’s emissions are from buildings.

The city government, which owns more than 16 million square feet of property in the city, has set aside more than $130 million to help identify decarbonization projects, Ms. Wu said.

Ms. Wu has acknowledged that decarbonizing efforts will be a “major undertaking,” according to the Boston Herald.

Some experts have raised concerns about how the new ban could affect the cost of housing in Boston, which has already soared in recent years, and could further increase energy costs at a time when they are already high.

Others have said that the ban could complicate the future construction of various buildings.

“There is a lot of concern among the broadly defined development community that it’s going to be very difficult to comply with these codes,” Kate Dineen, of the nonprofit business advocacy organization A Better City, told the Boston Globe in March.

Still, Ms. Wu’s office stated that the ban on fossil fuels in new construction and major renovations of city-owned buildings will prove to be “cost-effective to operate in the long run” and will reduce overall municipal energy costs, the savings from which can then be reinvested in local services.