Lexington will become one of the first Massachusetts communities to ban fossil fuels in new construction, joining 9 other municipalities in a state pilot program aimed at restricting new fossil fuel infrastructure.
The town’s new regulations ban installing piping for natural gas, propane and other fossil fuels in new buildings and major renovations. Exceptions include research laboratories, hospitals, and large multi-family buildings using gas or propane for water heating. Gas stoves and fireplaces are also exempt from Lexington’s version of the legislation.
“It’s a huge win for all climate goals in town, being able to stop new construction from having fossil fuel infrastructure and making sure we’re not digging ourselves deeper into the climate crisis,” said Maggie Peard, the Sustainability and Resilience Officer for the Town of Lexington.
Lexington’s Town Meeting passed a bylaw restricting new fossil fuel infrastructure in March 2021, but under Massachusetts law, the town was not allowed to mandate stricter standards without the state’s permission.
A major state climate bill passed in 2022 included provisions designed to allow municipalities to enact their own standards in order to “experiment with greener construction,” said State Sen. Mike Barrett, who lives in Lexington and co-authored the bill. Following the bill’s passage, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) established a pilot program giving 10 communities the authority to implement their own rules restricting the use of fossil fuels in new construction. As part of the pilot, towns will track and report on the costs and impact to help inform future statewide policy.
Lexington’s application to participate in the pilot program was approved on Dec. 22, 2023, and the Town’s bylaw will go into effect for permits granted after March 21, 2024.
Other participating towns include Acton, Acquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Lincoln and Newton. There is one remaining spot that both Northampton and Somerville have applied for.
Lexington’s approval letter from DOER points out that the town’s bylaw is the only one of the participating communities to allow for gas cooking appliances and fireplaces and recommends that Lexington consider removing these exemptions.
“I think it’s a good recommendation,” said Cindy Arens, chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee. “Three years ago, we were really excited and thought that [the bylaw] was something we should push and get through. We got some pushback at the time on gas cooking,” so the exemption was included as a compromise, Arens explains. “We didn’t know as much as we know today about the dangers of gas stoves, including an increased risk of asthma in children.” Arens said. The Town will recommend removing the exemptions for indoor gas stoves and fireplaces at this year’s Town Meeting in March, based on DOER’s recommendations.
There has also been some pushback about the costs associated with the restrictions on new construction, particularly in the midst of a housing crisis. But studies show that all-electric homes are actually cheaper to build and save residents money on energy bills.
Another question is the effectiveness of electric heat pumps, the recommended approach for heating and cooling new homes — particularly in New England winters.
“When we started this work, lots of people were like, ‘this is not ready for prime time,’” Arens said. “The good thing is that the technology for heat pumps has come a long, long way, and you can get a heat pump that works at -15 degrees, -20 degrees,” she added. “The technology has advanced so far that it really is possible to build all electric.”
“Reducing over-dependence on natural gas for heating is the toughest assignment of all in climate change, and Lexington is showing a way forward,” Sen. Barrett told LexObserver. “The rest of the state will be watching, and so will much of the country.”
“This is something that’s really significant. It didn’t happen quickly. It wasn’t easy. But it’s something that is really positive for the town,” Arens said. “Eventually what would be a great thing is if all towns and cities could opt into something like this,” she said. “For now I’m just really excited to get this off the ground.”
Great, let them freeze their butts off when the grid goes down
Note that many fossil fuel-based heating systems will also be useless without electricity to power forced hot air fans or circulator pumps.
Yep. That was true of my oil. Now have geothermal
Dear Anonymous Rob R,
Don’t you care enough to stand your point of view by using your full name when you submit an opinion to the conversation?
— Harry Forsdick
Does this prohibit propane or natural gas piping to generators, in new construction? If so, this legislation is very problematic when the grid goes down or electricity is at all interrupted. There is no redundancy in the system as I understand it; and could be especially problematic in extremely cold weather.
No redundancy now. Oil heat doesn’t work without electricity.
Lived here 25 years, grid is reliable.
No redundancy now.
Oil needs electricity.
Lived here 25 years, grid is reliable.
I’d be interested in learning more about the dangers of cooking with a gas stove. Yes, I can search the internet for articles, but perhaps someone has a good read that they know of already. Until we switch what was already in the house when we purchased it, it would be good to know the safest ways to use the stove. Gratefully, L Boehm
Here are some articles from reputable publications
https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/indoor-air-quality/is-your-gas-range-a-health-risk-a6971504915/
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/worried-about-your-gas-stove/
https://www.propublica.org/article/what-to-know-about-gas-stove-risks
Here is a good summary of the research from the chair of the environmental health department at BU https://theconversation.com/are-gas-stoves-bad-for-your-health-heres-why-the-federal-government-is-considering-new-safety-regulations-186454
I’d like to see insulation/solar design standards designed to eliminate, or at least minimize the need for heating and cooling. I wrote an article about such a house in Lexington, above Wilson Farm 40ish years ago, that belonged to the late Douglas Holmes.
Try this article from the US EPA: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/sources-combustion-products#Reducing_Exposure
The most effective step to protect health while using a gas stove is to install a range hood with a fan that vents to the outside and run it whenever you cook.
I hope these cities understand that about 75% of electricity is generated in Massachusetts using natural gas (https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MA). Most of these programs only have a face value. To touch a popular vote base. It sounds smart, but being a state over 80% of electricity produced using fossil fuel, how exactly are we going to benefit by switching to electricity based systems? One thing you can do is to replace oil by more efficient natural gas. Or, promote solar systems for homes.
It’s all b.s! Global warming my butt! It’s all about control, if it’s not? Where is our free energy? Government control. What’s the alternative when power goes out? How many coal plants burning in China? They don’t seem concerned? Why is the u.s letting Chinese buy farm land that borders our military bases? No one’s talking about that? What a joke.
Less options for homeowners is more power for government, California’s smart thermostats gave the ability to control the temperature of your home. Vote local, state and federal to get these people out.
Did the residents vote for this. I understand it is there bylaw that is allowing this. But I also read the state must approve this nonsense laura
Completely foolish. More than half of MA’ electricity is sourced from natural gas power plants. So instead of burning cheap natural gas in our homes, we’re paying much more to have it burned for us by a power company who will charge us a fortune for it in the form of electricity. Not to mention the increased demand will ultimately raise power costs and accelerate grid failure. The people who are really hurt by this and the new changes to the town zoning restrictions are aging residents in older homes who plan to sell in the next couple years. Developers won’t pay as much for your home if they can’t build with natural gas or build as a large a house on the existing parcel. Residents need to voice concerns and vote these things down quickly.