Pass Impactful Local Legislation

Get involved in your community’s climate action plans.

We cannot achieve the decarbonization we need by 2030 or 2050 with voluntary individual choices alone. We need to change systems, incentives and regulations to achieve the scale we need. And critically, much of the change we need has to happen at the local and state level, not just at the Federal level.

Find a way to accelerate climate action that feels right to you. Contact us at info@zerocarbonma.org, we can help! For more resources, please click the links below.

Does your community have a Community Choice Electricity program?

Community choice aggregation (CCA), also known as municipal electric aggregation, is a way for one or a group of cities and towns currently served by investor-owned utilities to use bulk purchasing power to negotiate electric supply on behalf of their residents and small businesses currently on basic service. See these excellent links from Green Energy Consumers here and here.

Has your community voted to adopt the Opt-in Specialized Code?

The Opt-in Specialized Code, adopted by towns and cities representing 30% of the State’s population, builds on energy improvements in the updated Stretch Code, providing consumer protections like pre-wiring for future electrification and PV solar panels to help reduce energy costs. These important changes save consumers from significant costs to comply with future building code requirements. See our resources on Opt-in Specialized Code tab and contact us to get more information.

Are you planning for an all-electric EV fleet and EV ready parking?

Across MA, we are building brand new buildings with totally inadequate charging infrastructure. Accommodating EV charging in a project costs a fraction of building the parking itself, and retrofitting can be 4-6X the cost to make new construction EV-ready. See the slide deck for our EV-ready webinar on 1.10.24 here and the webinar here.

Have you committed to low-carbon concrete in your municipal projects?

Concrete and cement are some of the most carbon-intensive materials in our built environment. But many solutions exist to reduce concrete’s contribution to climate change. See the slide deck for the Low-Carbon concrete webinar on Brookline’s bylaw by Ira Krepchin 1.10.24 here and the Low-Carbon concrete webinar with Rebecca Esau of RMI and Ira Krepchin on 4.7.22 here, as well as a good RMI’s “Concrete Solutions Guide” here.

Has your community committed to net-zero municipal buildings?

Net Zero Ready buildings are being built at the same cost as conventional buildings. And energy efficient buildings can generate substantial cost savings. See this recent report from BE+ about the benefits of net zero buildings (see page 10 for a list of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready schools and academic institutions). Also see this document for a ZeroCarbonMA tracker of Net Zero schools and municipal buildings.

Have you passed important legislation to reduce setback requirements for heat pumps?

Many community’s current zoning restrict the installation of any exterior mechanical system (including heat pumps and post-mounted EV chargers) within a 6-foot setback of side or rear lot lines, except by special permit. See this recent FAQ and Warrant Article from Brookline for ways to make installing heat pumps easier.

Have you passed a fossil fuel prohibition Home Rule Petition or other building electrification legislation?

Contact us at info@zerocarbonma.org - we can help.