Rachel Boyer, rachel.boyer@sierraclub.org
San Francisco, Calif.--Today, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced a city-wide building code that requires newly constructed buildings to run on gas-free power. San Francisco joins more than 30 other cities in California -- second in population only to San Jose -- to begin phasing gas out of buildings.
Since the San Francisco Board of Supervisors declared a climate emergency last year, the San Francisco Climate Emergency Coalition has been working to ensure the City acts quickly to curb its contribution to climate change.
The new ordinance limits permits for newly constructed buildings that use gas after January 1, 2021. If a gas-free project is structurally infeasible, exemptions can be granted by the Department of Building Inspection. Additionally, the permit deadline for new restaurants is extended by one year to January 2022.
Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter Conservation Committee Member Barry Hermanson released the following statement:
“San Francisco’s building code is a good first step to phasing gas out of our homes and businesses but it can and should go further. Right now, the loopholes in the ordinance make it easy for developers and businesses to greenlight new gas in new buildings. Before the Board of Supervisors votes on this ordinance, we hope that they create easily accessible public opportunities for San Franciscans to speak up and demand a clearer and definitive plan for a gas-free future.”
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.