SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Governments across the US and Canada moving off methane gas

Published on October 25, 2022

This is a supplemental information sheet for the SAFE Cities and partners live online joint policy announcement event on October 26.

You can learn more about that event by reading the full press release here.

Notable developments in building electrification in the last six months include the following jurisdictions.

Note: Clicking on any specific location will bring you directly to more information on the specific policy they are working on or passed, as well as quotes from local leaders in that jurisdiction.

Governments that finalized and passed policies for electrification: Vancouver, Victoria, and New Westminster, BC; Hercules, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, Martinez, and Pasadena, CA; Washington, DC; and the State of Washington

Governments with policies introduced or in development: Montréal, QC; Los Angeles, CA; Eugene, OR; Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; and the State of Washington

Governments that adopted recommendations for electrification: Bethlehem, NY; Kansas City, MO; San Diego, CA; and the State of California

Governments that passed Home Rule Petitions for building electrification and have applied to be in the Massachusetts state pilot for all-electric new construction: Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Concord, Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, Northampton, Somerville, Salem, and West Tisbury, MA; 10 of these communities, Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Concord, Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, and West Tisbury, had their earlier building electrification policies blocked by the State

 

Massachusetts

Over the last few years, Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Concord, Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, and West Tisbury all passed Home Rule Petitions banning new fossil fuel infrastructure in new construction and major renovations. Brookline was the first to take this step in Massachusetts, and Brookline’s was the second policy in North America and the first in a cold climate. However, the State told the cities they could not enforce the policies. In response to pressure from these communities, in August the State legislature included a 10-city pilot gas ban program in the latest Massachusetts 2022 Climate bill and all 10 of these communities have asked to participate. In addition, Boston, Somerville, and Salem and Northampton are also seeking to participate in the pilot program, having now passed their own Home Rule Petitions declaring that they want to pass policies for making new buildings fossil fuel free. Advocates and local leaders continue to push for more communities to be able to participate in this pilot program as well as for statewide bans on new fossil fuel infrastructure in new construction and major renovations.

Wendy Stahl, medical doctor and member of the Brookline, MA, Zero Emissions Advisory Board, said: “Brookline became the first cold-winter community to pass building electrification but the State put our policy on hold. In the meantime, a whole movement has grown in Massachusetts and the State is now listening. We hope that every community that wants to keep gas out of new buildings and major renovations in Massachusetts will be allowed into the electric construction pilot program, and that the regulations will be released soon. Our communities, and especially our most vulnerable members, can’t afford to wait any longer for this common sense, economical policy. And remember this is just the first step, we’re also working to transition our existing buildings so everyone can have the benefits of all-electric buildings.”

Lisa Cunningham, a co-founder of ZeroCarbonMA which has been advocating for building electrification at the local and state level, said: “Local Massachusetts leaders are committed to protecting their communities and the planet. Some have been waiting for years to implement their policies. The State should let the first communities move forward with the electric construction pilot as soon as possible by quickly establishing the requirements, rather than making them wait until next summer. And the incoming Governor should work with the State Legislature to open the Fossil Fuel Ban pilot to all cities that are interested.”

Mariama White-Hammond, Boston, MA, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, said: “The climate crisis requires us to abandon the fossil fuels that are choking the planet and polluting our communities. It is essential that the fossil-free standards center the needs of environmental justice communities and impacted workers. The Environment Department looks forward to the launch of this community process to create a just transition to an economically thriving, equitable, and Green New Deal Boston.

Quebec

Montréal, Quebec has some of the coldest winters in North America, and Mayor Plante has directed staff to develop a building electrification policy for new construction.

Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal, said: “We are currently in a climate emergency and we can no longer wait to act. Zero emissions buildings are one critical way to accelerate our transition off fossil fuels. As Vice-chair of the international C40 organisation, we are proud to share this expertise and all the other bold actions which Montréal is taking with other cities and levels of government around the world.”

Jean-Pierre Finet, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie (ROEÉ) Analyst, said: “Methane gas should not be considered as a necessary evil to heat existing buildings, and should not be used in new construction either, with only rare exceptions. We can no longer accept that the gas industry keeps generating GHG emissions while we are trying to reduce them. It’s time to put an end to that nonsense and promote smart electric heating technologies.

Missouri

Kansas City, MO adopted a series of recommendations in its Climate Protection & Resilience Plan (CPRP) to speed building electrification even though the State Legislature has prohibited, or preempted, local policies on building electrification. This is the first local building electrification policy known to SAFE Cities since preemption passed in the State.

Beth Pauley, Kansas City Climate Protection Steering Committee Member, said: “Our community members told us they wanted the City and the Climate Protection & Resiliency Plan (CPRP) to protect people from rising utility rates, especially gas rates. We know that moving our buildings off gas to all-electric is the way to protect ratepayers as well as health, safety, and climate for the long term. Our state legislature has taken away our local authority to electrify our buildings directly, so Kansas City is doing everything we can to make it easy for people, especially our most marginalized community members, to electrify.”

Eric Bunch, Kansas City, MO, Councilmember, said: “There is no question that fossil fuels are going away and there are many benefits from this transition. The coal plant in my district, which we’re working to close, pollutes the air and hurts the climate. So does methane gas in our buildings, and people find their gas bills keep going up, too. I’m committed to moving forward on the recommendations we’ve developed that are ambitious and that all cities, even those allowed to do direct building electrification, can do. Like requiring home energy and carbon disclosures at the time of lease or sale, training our local builders on high-efficiency building techniques, and doing a community-wide education program on the benefits of energy efficiency. Over time, I hope the state law changes and we can do more.”

New York

In New York State, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, has been selected to be part of the “Stretch to Zero” building electrification pilot. The pilot comes with financial support for the selected communities to develop policies. In Bethlehem, NY, building electrification policies are part of the recommendations in its newly-adopted Comprehensive Plan.

Nicola Armacost, Mayor of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, said: “We are eager to work with our community and with other experts to develop a robust building electrification program that is a good fit for us, for the State, and for the planet. We’re thrilled to have this policy area opening up for us and for more communities in New York State.”

Maureen Cunningham, Bethlehem, NY, Town Board Member, said: “The many Bethlehem residents who worked on our Comprehensive Plan were clear on the need to transition off of fossil fuels in our infrastructure and to create a healthier, safer and forward-looking community. In the next year, I will work with my colleagues on the Town Board to enable staff to explore options for keeping gas out of new construction – backed by strong policy.”

State of Washington

After several cities passed local policies limiting fossil fuels in space and water heating in new commercial buildings, the State’s Building Code Council advanced a similar statewide commercial energy code in June. The Building Code Council is now conducting hearings on building electrification for new residential buildings and is poised to advance rules requiring heat pump space and water heating for new residential buildings before the end of the year.

Davina Duerr, Washington State Representative, said: “Making sure our new buildings don’t rely on fossil fuels is a crucial part of how we will turn the tide of climate change. Washington’s experience exemplifies the best kind of relationship between state and local government; cities led the way with smart climate policies and now the state is learning from their example and quickly following suit.”

State of California

California is where the local building electrification policies began, and now the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted a set of recommendations, including prohibiting the sale of gas space and water heating appliances after 2030. CARB staff will now work on developing a specific policy for the Board to consider. Meanwhile, local governments in the state have continued moving forward their own policies, with Los Angeles directing several city departments to develop a plan for citywide electrification of new construction, and San Diego passing a climate action plan with recommendations for electrifying new construction and existing buildings, and Hercules, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, Martinez, and Pasadena all passing policies in the last six months.

Paul Koretz, City of Los Angeles, CA, Councilmember, author of legislation to require decarbonization of both new and existing buildings said: “Getting gas out of our buildings is critical for Los Angeles and people around the world and we need to do it as soon as possible and as equitably as possible. While we’re pleased to see that the State has taken inspiration from the actions of our City and so many communities around California, 2030 is much too late. We need to stop producing and installing gas appliances immediately. That is the only way to work at the scale and speed we actually need to protect human health, safety, and a stable global climate.”

Victor M. Gordo, Pasadena, CA, Mayor said: “For Pasadena, where approximately 47% of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are from residential and commercial energy use, we simply cannot meet our local climate goals without shifting away from natural gas use. We recognize that there have been significant advances in electric appliance technologies and also a continuous decline in the cost of renewable energy, meaning that substituting natural gas with electricity is one of the easiest and least expensive pathways to eliminating GHG emissions from buildings. And because the greatest opportunity for electrifying buildings is when the buildings are being designed and constructed, it makes sense to apply this requirement to newly constructed buildings. The City plans to look at expanding our electrification requirements to existing buildings at a future time.”

Joe LaCava, San Diego, CA, City Councilmember, said: “Building electrification benefits everyone and San Diego is acting quickly to meet our ambitious climate goals. The policy we adopted this fall complements our goal to decarbonize municipal buildings and sets the stage for electrifying private building construction, which we are working to pass early next year, and an equitable transition to electrify existing buildings. We must act now on climate and I’ll be working to advance these crucial policies next year.”

Rob Schroder, City of Martinez, CA, Mayor, said: “Adopting an All-Electric Building Ordinance was a major milestone for Martinez. Within two years of declaring a Climate Emergency, we were able to develop and pass this REACH building code to improve the health and environmental conditions for Martinez citizens. Championed by City Council and community members alike, this step towards decarbonization represents our dedication to the movement away from fossil fuels, and to fostering a safer and more sustainable city.”

British Columbia

Vancouver, BC’s policy is the first one in Canada for existing buildings. Victoria, BC’s is the first mandatory building electrification policy in the province outside of Vancouver. New Westminster, BC’s resolution is the first to explicitly name all-electric as a priority over any kinds of gas, including what the industry calls “renewable natural gas.”

Christine Boyle, Vancouver, BC City Councillor said: “More than half of Vancouver’s carbon emissions come from using fracked gas in buildings. As part of our Climate Emergency Action Plan, we are proud to be tackling this huge source of climate pollution by taking steps to move both new and existing buildings off gas while, at the same time, introducing air filtration and maximum temperature standards to keep residents safe during future extreme heat events.”

Nadine Nakagawa, New Westminster City Councillor, said: “Last summer’s heat dome killed nearly 600 people across BC, many of them seniors living in apartment buildings without adequate ventilation. Going forward, we’re determined to do more for our most vulnerable residents. That means building low carbon homes with heat pumps that also serve as air conditioning units, and prioritizing clean electric power over false solutions like ‘renewable gas’. We’re proud to be part of a wave of municipalities across BC taking bold leadership to confront the climate crisis while building safer, more resilient communities.”

Washington, D.C.

The Washington, D.C Council unanimously passed legislation in July to ban most natural gas use in new buildings, tightening restrictions on the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. The policy includes commercial buildings, condominiums and apartment buildings, and single-family homes taller than three stories.

Oregon

Eugene, OR, introduced the first community-wide building electrification policies in the state when the City Council voted to direct staff to draft ordinance language to make new residential construction all-electric and to schedule further sessions to discuss a transition to all-electric for new commercial construction. Council also directed staff to formalize the City’s goal of equitably electrifying all existing residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, and create a proposal for community engagement that has at its foundation social, environmental, and economic equity with emphasis on engagement of historically marginalized communities and their representatives.

Lucy Vinis, Eugene, OR, Mayor, said: “We recognize that housing policy is climate policy. Determining where housing is built and how it is heated and cooled are essential tools that cities can engage to meet both our housing needs and our climate goals. As a smaller city, we understand that our policies by themselves won’t change the trajectory of a warming planet. But as a model for other cities our size, we can help shift the perspective of what is possible. And that can lead to change at a state and national level.”

Aya Cockram, Fossil Free Eugene Coalition Coordinator, said: “When Eugene became the first municipality in Oregon to introduce community-wide building electrification it bolstered the movement around the state. Passage in Eugene will inspire many other communities and the state to act. It is not if but when Oregon will electrify, despite the delay tactics of our gas utilities. The Fossil Free Eugene coalition is here to ensure that Eugene’s building electrification policies are strong and have environmental justice at their core.”

The role of SAFE Cities and partners:

SAFE Cities works with local government leaders and advocates to stop fossil fuel expansion and phase out fossil fuels. Along with our partners, we’re honored to recognize these leaders in building electrification at our Joint Policy Announcement on Building Electrification. We’re also honored to be working with several partners to launch a Briefing Note (link) that counters the false and misleading messaging of the gas industry.

Anne Pernick, SAFE Cities Senior Advisor, said: “This impressive wave of policies shows that people know we need to and can move off methane everywhere to secure a better, safer future for our communities and the world. The daily headlines about the weaponization of fossil fuels and other dirty energy make that even more clear. Building electrification works in cold climates, across borders, and in communities large and small. SAFE Cities is honored to support the thoughtful and committed people who are leading the end of fossil fuel expansion and the transition to clean energy.”

Amy Turner, Senior Fellow, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, who partnered with SAFE Cities on the joint policy announcement, offering local leaders technical advice, said: “Local governments around North America are developing a myriad of novel, context-specific ways to get fossil fuels out of their buildings. The peer learning and ongoing support among these jurisdictions has spurred the development of policies that consider the unique legal, political, geographic, and energy needs of each community. We look forward to working with SAFE Cities and other partners to keep supporting the rapid growth of this movement.”

Dominic Frongillo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) and former Councilmember and Deputy Supervisor of Caroline, New York, said: “The future of our communities and our planet depends on us getting off methane in our buildings. It’s heartening to witness the wave of policies to stem this life-threatening climate crisis pollution. Elected Officials to Protect America is proud to partner with SAFE Cities on building this movement and stands behind the efforts of all these governments to transition from a fossil-fueled economy to a clean energy economy.”

Learn more about the SAFE Cities movement at safecities.earth

Media contacts:
Sohini Baliga, +1-415-532-3808, safemedia@stand.earth

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