As natural gas bans proliferate in Greater Boston communities, utilities are stepping into the search for fossil fuel-free heating and cooling systems. In Framingham, Eversource is set to start work on an experiment with ground-sourced heat pumps.
The goal is to stop that climate-warming gas from entering the atmosphere. And there’s a dire need for reducing emissions from skyscrapers like these in such a vertical city: New York state’s buildings also emit more air pollution than any other state’s.
A commission that spent the last 11 months studying ways to help real estate meet its emissions reduction requirements couldn’t come to an agreement in the face of “strong opinions” about bans on natural gas use in new and existing buildings.
Gas stoves can release hazardous air pollutants while they’re operating, even when they’re turned off, and research shows unventilated kitchens can put their users at risk.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the city will be filing a home rule petition today to join the state’s new pilot program for communities seeking to ban natural gas hookups in new construction and major renovations.
One day from his deadline to act, with his proposed changes to the bill already adopted or rejected and his departure from office nearing, Baker is weighing his legacy.
The message from the top House climate negotiator was clear Sunday: the ball’s in your court, governor.
If state infrastructure grants and moral duty aren’t enough to sway residents and officials in Newton and Arlington to pull their weight in solving the state’s housing crisis, could the climate emergency help?
The news is dire. We immediate action to address the monumental threat of climate change. But Massachusetts must be strategic about how we tackle this challenge, and avoid well-intentioned but deeply flawed ideas.
Massachusetts has a long history of birthing new technologies and new industries, only to see them pack up and leave for sunnier climes, from textiles to computers.
