Beacon will require all-electric appliances in new buildings starting next year.
The city of Beacon, New York became the third in the state to ban fossil fuels in new buildings with a unanimous City Council vote this week. “The law requires all-electric construction for all new buildings and major renovations starting in 2024, and mirrors language in the statewide All-Electric New Building Act proposed with 85 co-sponsors in Albany.”
According to a press release from Food & Water Watch, “Buildings are New York’s largest polluters, producing 32% of the state’s climate-heating greenhouse gas emissions — all-electric construction would slash climate warming emissions.”
As the press release explains, “Ending fossil fuel use in new construction would prevent air pollution equivalent to keeping 870,000 gas-powered cars off the road every year, and save families in new homes statewide an average of over $900 a year on energy bills.” In addition to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, swapping out gas ranges for electric stoves improves indoor air quality and public health.
Berkeley, California instituted a similar policy in 2019.
FULL STORY: Beacon, NY City Council Unanimously Votes to Ban Fossil Fuels in New Buildings
New Jersey to Consider Charging Fossil Fuel Companies for Pollution
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Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
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Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
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Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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