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Boston bans use of fossil fuels to power the construction of public buildings

Boston City Hall (Lei Xu/Dreamstime)
Boston’s mayor’s office has issued an executive order forbidding the use of fossil fuels during construction and major renovation projects on city-owned buildings.

The move is effective for all new projects, although those under procurement, design, or construction are exempt.

The executive order notes that municipal emissions constitute 2.3% of Boston’s carbon emissions, and that 70% of emissions are from the city administration’s 16 million sq ft of property.

Michelle Wu, Boston’s mayor, said: “Week after week, we see the signs of extreme heat, storms and flooding that remind us of a closing window to take climate 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.”

Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Boston’s Green New Deal director, said: “We are taking an all-of-government approach, finding ways for our cabinets and departments to play a role in climate action. 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.”

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Comments

  1. I’m all for reducing our carbon footprint, but this is ridiculous. It’s simply not feasible. Good luck finding electric powered excavators and much of the other equipment found on construction sites. Efforts would be better put towards focusing on materials.

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