Support the Home Rule Petition for Fossil Fuel-Free New Construction!
Somerville City Council
UPDATE: The Council has passed the Home Rule Petition unanimously! Our advocacy and the testimony of Mothers Out Front were specifically recognized. Sign up here if you'd like to join us in future advocacy and community outreach.
Burning fossil fuels to heat our homes and buildings is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Somerville. Not only are we accelerating climate change every time we turn up the heat, but the infrastructure that delivers gas to our furnaces (and stoves) is riddled with leaks. That means that even when we're not using gas, we're releasing little bits of it into the air. And most of that gas is methane, which is both an air pollutant that harms human health, and a greenhouse gas more than 30 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.
If we want a climate-safe future, we MUST stop burning fossil fuels for heat and cooking. This is why more and more Somerville residents are switching to electric HVAC systems with heat pumps. But almost all the new houses, condos, apartments, and commercial buildings being built across Somerville are still using dirty, outdated technologies. Because furnaces have long lifespans, they're locking people and businesses into decades of gas dependency. And they're locking Somerville rate-payers into having to maintain and upgrade gas infrastructure.
Climate advocates in Somerville have pushed to ban fossil-fueled systems in new construction for years, and the new Massachusetts climate law finally lets 10 municipalities adopt such bans. Somerville is not yet on the list, but we pass a home rule petition ASAP, we can be first in line if a slot opens up. Councilors Ben Ewen-Campen and Lance Davis are introducing one at the Aug. 25, 2022, City Council meeting. Let's make sure it gets passed right away!
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To:
Somerville City Council
From:
[Your Name]
As Somerville residents and your constituents, we are writing to urge you to promptly consider and approve the Home Rule Petition being introduced on Aug. 25, 2022, by Councilors Ewen-Campen and Davis to establish a net zero emissions standard for new constructed buildings and major renovation project.
We see this as a vital opportunity to start freeing our city from fossil fuel dependency – and we believe time is of the essence.
As you know, Somerville has already committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Burning fossil fuels to heat our homes and buildings is our top single source of emissions, so to reach our climate goals, we'll need to switch the whole city to highly efficient electrical systems powered by renewables. That will take years, but the very least we can do is stop adding new gas-powered systems, and thus avoid locking into decades of avoidable emissions, air pollution, and gas infrastructure maintenance costs. Putting electric HVAC systems instead of gas furnaces in new buildings and gut rehabs is already only marginally more expensive, and, as highlighted by a recent report commissioned by the state Department of Energy Resources, new rebates now actually make it cheaper in most cases to build fully electric than to install outdated gas systems.
The ground-breaking climate legislation just passed in Massachusetts will enable 10 municipalities to be the pioneers in fossil fuel-free new construction. Somerville is not yet on that list, but if the Council acts quickly, we can be first in line if a spot opens up, while also bolstering the case for expanding the pilot program. This is why Mayor Ballantyne, a longtime climate champion, is supporting the Councilors' petition, as are climate advocates throughout Somerville.
We have no time to waste. Billions of dollars of construction projects are happening across our city, and they can either move us forward, or entrench the status quo. We need to send a clear message to developers and homebuyers that the future of Somerville is electric and carbon-free.
Thank you for your leadership!