Buildings don’t have tailpipes, so you might underestimate how much they contribute to climate change. In D.C., buildings are the number 1 carbon emitter — by far — accounting for nearly three-quarters of the District’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In the face of an uncertain economy, Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to delay an ambitious program that would slash emissions from buildings. The delay is an effort to ease the post-pandemic burden on struggling building owners, particularly those suffering from vacancies downtown.
Under the mayor’s proposal, implementation of the District’s building energy performance standards would be pushed back by three years. Environmental groups and backers of the program deplored the proposed delay.
“It would virtually doom Washington’s ability to meet our climate commitments, and it would set a terrible precedent for the rest of the country,” says Cliff Majersik, senior advisor with the D.C.-based nonprofit Institute for Market Transformation.
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