Did you know that buildings account for more than 50% of Portland’s greenhouse gas emissions? This makes it crucially important to create pathways to lower building emissions, in order to meet city climate goals, while keeping rent and energy rates affordable.

Portland is in the process of reducing building emissions and creating healthier housing standards! A new policy called the Climate and Health Standards for Existing Buildings (C&HS) will have a hearing in the Housing & Permitting Committee on October 20, 2026. It will apply to large buildings over 20,000 square feet.

Building emissions continue to generate climate impacts and raise costs, especially as fossil fuel and methane “natural” gas prices skyrocket. We need our communities and buildings to be more resilient, prioritizing those disproportionately affected by climate change, while meeting our climate goals for the future.

After community engagement with groups including 350PDX, Councilor Avalos and her team have carefully crafted this policy. C&HS will include opportunities to reduce emissions from large commercial and multifamily buildings, while also increasing transparency and protections for tenants.

Groups like NW Natural will bring opposition pressure to this policy, so community engagement will be key! Send this email to City Council today to let them know you care about reducing building emissions.