City council drops bombshell new policy that could dramatically change local homes: 'This is an equity issue'

In Northampton, Massachusetts, the city council approved an update to the town's building code that bans the use of polluting fuels for heating and powering appliances in new buildings, a move that will improve air quality and residents' health.

As the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported, the new rules went into effect on Jan. 27 and apply to any new construction or renovations of existing properties throughout the city. The City Council unanimously approved the mandate, making Northampton one of only 10 municipalities in Massachusetts to adopt the climate-friendly building policy.

According to a city news release, Northampton was selected to participate in the Commonwealth's Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Demonstration Program — a state-sponsored pilot that enables cities to amend ordinances to eliminate dirty fuels in new construction. With the new building code, the city will meet the requirements to participate in the forward-thinking program.

The Gazette reported that all new buildings or renovations to existing structures must have all-electric appliances and heating systems. However, some exceptions can be made to replace existing equipment powered by oil or gas. For example, an outdated boiler could be replaced with a newer one under the guidelines.

Research labs, hospitals, and medical offices, as well as outdoor cooking, heating appliances, and emergency generators, would also be exempt from the new law. Historical buildings don't have to comply with the ordinance if updates would significantly alter their "historic fabric," Weil said.

While the new building code will bring the city closer to a carbon-free future, several council members and residents had concerns about the costs of upgrading to all-electric systems. Because of these concerns, councilors updated the code to allow buildings connected to a geothermal heating network, such as the one being built at Smith College, to use oil and gas for 20% of their heating needs.

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"This project will significantly reduce their carbon emissions and their gas use overall but it does rely on some use of fossil fuels," council president Alex Jarrett, who co-sponsored the mandate, told the Gazette. "We don't want to put [Smith] in a position where they would basically be unable to use their new geothermal network for buildings."

Ward 7 councilor Rachel Maiore, another co-sponsor of the measure, added that the new building code will have a greater impact beyond just decarbonizing the city's infrastructure.

"This is about actually looking after our residents and this is an equity issue," Maiore said. "Climate change is racist, it disproportionately impacts vulnerable and poor communities, and we don't want to keep conducting ourselves in the same old ways that cause the destruction of our climate."

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