Boston Moves To Ax Fossil Fuels From New Buildings

BOSTON, MA — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday moved to change city zoning laws to ban fossil fuels in new developments and in some larger renovations.

The move comes after Gov. Charlie Baker last week signed a sweeping new climate change bill, which includes a provision allowing up to 10 cities and towns in the state to experiment with fossil fuel-free building rules.

Boston could join other major U.S. cities like Seattle and Washington, D.C., in decarbonizing developments. The practice typically means banning the use of natural gas as a heating or cooking source in new developments.

If Boston City Council signs off on Wu's proposal, the city will petition the state Legislature to be included in the pilot program. The city would then convene a special committee to define what fossil-fuel free buildings might look like. City officials said they are looking at a "multi-year timeline for phasing out the use of fossil fuels."

"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," Wu said in a news release.

Other cities in Massachusetts have tried to ban fossil fuels in new developments, but have been blocked in rulings by Attorney General Maura Healey. In overruling Brookline's ban earlier this year, Healey said she supported the thrust of the local bylaw, but also that it violated state building codes and a law that gives the Department of Public Utilities oversight over natural gas sales. She encouraged the state Legislature to act on the issue.

The law signed by Baker last week — An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind — sets up a process for 10 communities to enter a pilot program to set up zoning rules to ban fossil fuels in new developments — except buildings used for medical research and hospitals. The 10 communities in the pilot program have to meet state minimums for affordable housing to qualify for the program.

Ten cities and towns have already filed petitions with the Legislature to be included in the pilot program, according to the Boston Globe. Those include: Lexington, Acton, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Arlington, Concord, Lincoln, Aquinnah and West Tisbury. Boston could still make the cut if one or more of those communities fails to meet housing affordability minimums.