Michele Brooks, (508) 816-2977, michele.brooks@sierraclub.org
BOSTON, MA -- At her first State of the City address last night, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced she will be signing an Executive Order requiring all new municipal buildings and major renovations, including schools, to be fossil-fuel free. Furthermore, she stated that all Boston Housing Authority properties will be fully electric by 2030, through increased investments in retrofits and acceleration of heat pump deployment.
Wu committed to shifting planning efforts from the Boston Planning and Development Agency, which has been viewed by many as a rubber stamp agency for development, to a City Planning and Design Department with a mission of centering people. This effort will include establishing a Planning Advisory Council to integrate long-term planning and modernize the zoning code, forming a steering group of stakeholders to recommend changes to the Article 80 development review process, and moving compliance and enforcement over to the Office of Housing with the hope of repairing community trust. Additionally, Mayor Wu declared she will be submitting a home rule petition to the city council on rent stabilization to preserve affordability and protect residents from displacement.
In response to the Mayor’s announcements, Sierra Club Massachusetts Boston Lead Organizer, Michele Brooks issued the following statement:
“We are excited by these announcements to require all new municipal buildings and major renovations be fossil-fuel free, in addition to unprecedented investments in retrofits and electrification for Boston public housing projects. With buildings accounting for more than 70% of the city’s carbon emissions, it is imperative that we move full speed ahead on decarbonizing existing buildings and take advantage of the ripe opportunity to build all-electric new construction. All-electric buildings are cost-effective and provide invaluable health benefits through cleaner indoor and outdoor air. We know that in Boston, low-income communities and communities of color experience the most severe impacts of climate change via extreme heat, flooding, air pollution, and high energy costs. These communities deserve access to healthy, affordable buildings to live, learn, and work in and we look forward to supporting the Wu administration in this massive undertaking.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.