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AS MASSACHUSETTS LOOKS to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, what to do with the state’s existing natural gas infrastructure is becoming a major point of contention.
At a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, several senators pressed Energy and Environment Secretary Kathleen Theoharides on why the Baker administration’s Recent building code proposal doesn’t allow communities to experiment with banning fossil fuel infrastructure for heating and cooking in new construction.
Theoharides stated that Theoharides’ proposal would update the existing building codes and create another. Although none of the codes would ban fossil fuel infrastructure for new buildings, they would be structured so that it is cost-effective for builders to embrace electrification.
“What we’ve done through the code is make the case for electrification really strong based on the cost,” she said.
The existing building codes — a base code and a stretch code — would be updated to put downward pressure on greenhouse gas emissions in new buildings. The new opt-in net-zero specialized stretch code would apply to new homes and commercial buildings that use gas. It will allow for greater energy efficiency, mount solar on the roof, and pre-wire the building for electricity.
Theoharides said the administration’s proposal seeks to strike a balance between energy efficiency and cost. She stated that she opposed an outright ban on fossil fuel infrastructure for new construction in any community, even if they are desired by the communities. This is because it could hinder housing construction and leave less customers to pay the financial burden for the remaining natural gas system.
“We need to make a transition [away from natural gas], but it needs to be an orderly transition,” she said. “We think we have to do this with a high level of care when we’re transitioning away from a system that still exists all across the state.”
Sen. Cynthia Creem, Newton, disagreed. “I think it’s shortsighted,” she said. “You may save money now but in the long run it’s not going to help.”
Senator Michael Barrett from Lexington said that Theoharides was stifling ingenuity by not allowing communities to try out removing fossil fuel infrastructure.
Theoharides disagreed. “Dictating certain fuels be used or certain things be banned is not innovation, it’s a requirement. What we’re doing is creating a code that requires the most energy efficient building envelope possible as well as additional things that go beyond that,” she said. “What we are not requiring is that every individual building new in a community needs to offset its entire energy profile. We do not believe that every homeowner needs to be an energy farmer and produce or offset all of the energy that’s used. That job can be efficiently done at the state level by procuring clean energy for our electricity and by transitioning away from fossil fuels.”
Barrett said that Theoharides is trying not to see a rapid migration away natural gas. But he said that her building codes would lead developers in the exact same direction, making it more costly to build with fossil-fuel infrastructure.
“It would,” Theoharides said. “But we think the transition would be smoother.”
She stated that natural gas delivery companies must be part of the transition to a world without their product. Energy secretary, said that she wants companies to make the transition to a future without leaving behind stranded assets.
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The Department of Public Utilities has ordered the state’s natural gas utilities to release a report in March detailing their vision for the future of their business. In a letter to the DPU on Tuesday, the attorney general’s office and the Department of Energy Resources urged the agency to put forward reforms by the end of this year to prevent homeowners and businesses from getting hit with costs as demand for natural gas declines over time.
“Over the next few months, the DPU has the opportunity to conduct an inclusive and open process that will lay the groundwork for a transition away from natural gas that is fair, safe, reliable, and affordable for all customers,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “We urge the DPU to take this opportunity to ensure we move toward our clean energy future in a way that is expeditious and protects ratepayers.S
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