ELECTRIFICATION
WPSR is committed to transitioning all buildings in Washington state to clean, renewable power so that we can all breathe healthier.
THE LATEST
landmark Seattle building emissions standards passed
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously on Dec 12, 2023 to pass a landmark climate policy to transition large multi-family and commercial buildings away from fossil fuels and to clean electricity. The policy, the Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS), is the first of its kind passed by a city in the Pacific Northwest and is one of the most ambitious in the nation. It is projected to create between 150 and 270 jobs annually, and expand career paths for women and BIPOC communities in Seattle. The BEPS policy is also expected to slash Seattle's total planet-warming building emissions 27% by mid-century. WPSR and many climate activists succeeded in pushing Seattle’s City Council to approve the Building Emissions Performance Standard proposed this Fall. WPSR submitted this letter to the Seattle City Council in support of the legislation.
groups call for study on health IMPACTS OF BURNING GAS
WPSR and 18 other health, environmental and social justice organizations submitted a letter to the Washington Department of Health calling for the agency to inform the public on the health impacts from burning gas in homes and buildings. Gas equipment, including furnaces, water heaters and stoves, generates as much smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution as Washington's coal and gas-burning power plants. Read the full release here.
STATE ADOPTS NEW BUILDING CODES!
The Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) voted to adopt amendments to statewide energy codes for new residential and commercial buildings, ensuring that they are insulated against gas industry legal tactics. The codes go into effect March 15, 2024.
WPSR Climate Task Force members Mark Vossler, Chris Covert Bowlds, Keith Sanderson, and Claire Richards testified at these meetings on behalf of health professionals! Want to testify as well? Sign up for WPSR’s action alerts!
THE FACTS
What is building electrification? Building electrification is the process of converting our buildings from running on dirty fracked gas (that thing the gas industry falsely calls “natural” gas) to using electric appliances, operating on clean electricity. Washington state has some of the cleanest electricity generation, which is only getting cleaner thanks to the Clean Energy Transformation Act. By using this clean electric power, we can make our homes healthier by ditching polluting gas appliances. Think of building electrification as a movement for cleaner homes!
Why is it so important? Fracked gas is harmful to our health. When we burn gas to heat our homes and cook our food, we are releasing toxic pollutants into the air that have numerous health consequences, such as asthma, heart disease, premature birth, and even cancer. Not only do gas appliances in homes release pollutants toxic to human health, they also release greenhouse gasses that are contributing to the declining health of our climate. Gas produces methane and carbon dioxide, and the more of this we allow into the atmosphere, the hotter our climate will get. That’s why we need to ditch the gas and move towards cleaner homes and a healthier future.
HOW WE WORK
State Building Codes Council: Washington state has some of the cleanest building codes in the country, thanks to ambitious updates to the state building code passed in 2022. Thanks in large part to WPSR supporters, all new construction in Washington state for both commercial/multifamily residential buildings, as well as small residential buildings, must be built with high efficiency heat pumps, helping us move off of our reliance on dirty fracked gas to power our homes.
The SBCC Residential Code Updates: Dr. Jill Denny gives a presentation about the health consequences of sticking to gas in our homes during her talk to raise awareness and knowledge of the SBCC codes. Dr. Breck Lebegue follows with a short talk to help you feel more comfortable with how to testify in a variety of settings.
Cooking with Gas: PSR National partnered with WPSR to give a great webinar on the health harms of gas stoves and produce these written materials. Check them out!