Mayor Michelle Wu has set several priorities concerning green initiatives. Primarily, she would like to see significant decreases in fossil fuel use.
Recently, she announced one piece of intended legislation that could create building standards that would eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new projects and major renovations. While the legislation could be great for the environment, it could create some worries for those looking at future projects.
Here’s what you should know about the initiative and how it could impact new construction.
A pilot program under recent legislation
Mayor Wu’s plan would include Boston as one of 10 municipalities involved in a pilot program through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, allowing them to create ordinances that limit or prohibit fossil fuel usage in new construction and major renovations.
The pilot program aims to see what these municipalities can achieve as they move toward options that are not dependent on fossil fuels.
Moving forward
Mayor Wu and the others behind the initiative recognize that this is not something that can happen overnight. In many respects, this will take small steps to move toward a larger goal of reaching a goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
Currently, many buildings in Massachusetts are working toward the Net Zero initiative of being carbon neutral. These buildings are classified as Net Zero. Since the community has been anticipating this change, there are also many structures that are Net Zero Ready.
As the City of Boston moves forward with this initiative, there will be more information about the specific rules regarding new construction.
