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THE PIONEERS
In July of 2019 Berkeley, California became the first municipality in the nation to pass (by unanimous city council vote) a ban natural gas in newly constructed buildings. The ban is to start in 2020 with houses and small apartment buildings, and to be followed by other building types when state officials finish analyses energy efficiency of other building types.
Folks in other cities across the country soon voiced interest in following suit, including Brookline, Massachusetts, making it the first town on the east coast to implement such restrictions. The new by-law passed by over 200 to 3 vote in a November 2019 Town Meeting, a test-run for other Massachusetts municipalities to follow. As Brookline Town Meeting member and state representative quipped, “We’ve got to cut emissions dramatically, which means we have to cut emissions from our buildings. When you’re in a hole, the first thing is to stop digging. . . . This bill simply takes away the shovel.”
DOING IT RIGHT
In Massachusetts, new by-laws must be approved by the Attorney General.
While awaiting this approval of Brookline’s ground-breaking by-law, other municipalities can start the planning stages for adopting similar legislation. Education on and monitoring of this effort is being organized by help of MCAN, PLAN-NE and Toxics Action Center.
Check out MCAN’s webinars to help towns prepare their own by-laws to be launched once the Brookline by-law is cleared by the Attorney General’s office. (Watch the most recent if you only participate in one, or watch in chronological order to follow the full evolution of all developments.)
• January 9, 2020: MA Gas Ban Webinar
View the webinar slides.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSmTiHyyGi0]
• December 4, 2019: Brookline Gas Ban Webinar
View the webinar slides.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFu9UIWe82M]
• October 1, 2019: Gas Moratorium Strategy Call
View the webinar slides
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1y1YeF1VeI]
» Email Cathy of PLAN-NE to sign on to the list-serv for the latest discussions on the progress of this building state-wide movement.
» Check out all of MCAN’s past webinars for info on other local actions like Net Zero Stretch Code and Affordable Housing as a Climate Solution.