GBREB Public Statement: Proposed Boston Gas Ban
On August 16, 2022, Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, issued the following statement in response to Mayor Wu's move to seek to ban fossil fuels in the construction of new buildings in Boston:
“While we share and admire Mayor Wu’s dedication to combatting climate change, we are deeply concerned by fully banning fossil fuels from new construction and the negative impacts such a blunt change will have on the critical need for housing production. Construction costs are already too high due to inflation and national supply chain challenges. Banning fossil fuels in new developments will only increase costs further. This ban would be especially problematic in a city like Boston, which produces huge levels of housing and is an economic engine for all development. Housing production is key to overcoming our state’s housing crisis. Instead of taking part in the state’s pilot program to ban fossil fuels in new developments, we believe the city and state should await the results of the pilot program before considering if and how Boston may implement this ban.”