Editor’s note: We’ve asked all 12 candidates for mayor of Boston various questions about housing and development. We’ll be running their answers over the next several weeks. The following candidates have not responded to our questions: John F. Barros, Charles L. Clemons Jr., Rob Consalvo, Martin J. Walsh, David James Wyatt and Charles Yancey.
This week’s question: Some commercial landlords say the city’s new “record and report” regulations on energy use place an unfair burden on them. What’s your response?
Felix Arroyo
Greening our city and implementing a long-term approach to addressing climate change encourages economic growth and helps improve our public health and overall quality of life. The Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance helps create jobs and gives us the power of information to measure and manage energy efficiently making it cost effective and good for our economy and our environment.
Dan Conley
The regulations do not require commercial landlords to pay for potentially costly renovations or retrofitting, only to record and report on their energy use. This is not unlike hundreds of thousands of products that record and report ingredients and nutrition information or tens of thousands of homeowners who undertake home energy efficiency testing.Read wisely, this is information that could incentivize landlords to seek greater energy efficiency wherever possible which would be in their interests, the interests of the environment and the city of Boston.
John R. Connolly
I believe the threat from climate change is so serious that we must act boldly to reduce our carbon emissions. Buildings account for three-quarters of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions, so it is important that we take steps to make buildings more energy efficient. A number of other cities, including New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., have similar ordinances on the books. I recognize that property owners have expressed concerns about the ordinance and I will work to make sure their voices are heard in coming years as we implement the ordinance.
Charlotte Golar Richie
As we continue to lift our economy out of the Great Recession, and work towards greater job creation in the private sector, I think all business regulations should be reviewed for relevancy and determine if they meet current standards of reasonableness.
Mike Ross
Implementing Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in partnership with the business and real estate communities is a critical action towards achieving our city’s climate action goals, which we cannot ignore. I am proud to have brought business and environmental leaders together to pass this ordinance. I understand some property owners’ concerns, and will work to ensure that they have the resources and support they need to comply. Through strong partnerships, BERDO can in fact help property owners save money on utility bills and make important improvements to their buildings.
Bill Walczak
I support Mayor Menino’s push for more energy efficiency in all Boston buildings. The global warming issue is real and, as mayor, I will work hard to make Boston a leader in energy conservation and proactive global warming initiatives.
I recognize that some landlords oppose strong measures. I would work with them, utilities and energy providers to develop and introduce workable programs. The key is to keep pressure on all parties, including city government, to be energy and environment conscious. It is also important to ask landlords how they would design energy efficiency regulations since they would benefit from using less energy.
I would also expand the thinking and ask for a comprehensive review of all the city’s infrastructure threats from global warming. The MBTA, Department of Transportation and the utilities have exposure to this issue and I want to be part of planning a comprehensive response.
