Boston bans fossil fuels in all new, renovated municipally owned buildings

In a move that aligns itself with a statewide goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, Boston, Mass. Mayor Michelle Wu recently signed an executive order banning fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings. The executive order also applies to major renovations of existing public buildings.

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

Wu announced her intention to enact the order at her 2023 State of the City Address. The ban notably only applies to city-owned buildings. Per Massachusetts state law, cities can’t universally ban fossil fuels. Even so, the action is substantial.

Boston’s local government owns more than 16 million square feet of property, and municipal emissions comprise more than 2% of all of the city’s total emissions. More than 70% of the city’s total emissions are from buildings.

“We are taking an all-of-government approach, finding ways for our cabinets and departments to play a role in climate action,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, director of the city’s Green New Deal policy agenda. “This executive order directs and empowers the operations cabinet and facilities managers across the city to lead the decarbonization 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.”

Moving forward, all new municipal buildings will be planned, designed, and constructed so HVAC, hot water and cooking systems don’t connect to fossil fuels. The order also takes effect when structural work is planned in 75% 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.

Notably, a prior ordinance (the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance) set emission standards for all large existing buildings, requiring them to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.