From Watts Up With That?

Blazemedia published a story with the following headline:

Boston mayor bans ‘fossil fuels’ in new city-owned buildings to advance ‘racial and economic justice’

https://www.theblaze.com/news/boston-wu-bans-fossilfuels-govt

The article describes a stunning display of disconnected-from-reality policy making, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recently announced a ban on fossil fuels in all new city-owned buildings. This new executive order, described as a bold step towards “racial and economic justice,” will supposedly expedite climate action, create jobs, and enhance the quality of life in the city. Oh, and all of this while having a good laugh at the principles of sound economic and infrastructural planning.

The press release detailing the executive order stated that it was aimed at “accelerating climate action by requiring that all new municipal buildings and major renovations operate without fossil fuels.” The ban extends to non-combustion usage in cooking, HVAC, and hot water apparatuses in all new buildings in the city. In other words, your basic conveniences just got a lot less convenient.

Mayor Wu claims that signs of “extreme heat, storms, and flooding” are pressing reminders of our need for urgent climate action. Her solution? Denying new buildings the most cost-effective and efficient energy sources we have. As she boldly stated,

“The benefits of embracing fossil fuel-free infrastructure in our City hold no boundary across industries and communities, and Boston will continue using every possible tool to build the green, clean, healthy, and prosperous future our city deserves.”

https://www.theblaze.com/news/boston-wu-bans-fossilfuels-govt

Someone should probably remind her about the merits of keeping the lights on and heating affordable.

But hold on, there’s more! In addition to the new buildings, the ordinance also sets ambitious emission standards for what are classified as “large existing buildings.” The aim is to have all municipal buildings achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Isn’t it lovely when bureaucrats with zero background in energy production set arbitrary deadlines?

The chief architect of this fossil-fuel-free fantasy land is Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city’s first “Green New Deal director.” The role was created, rather grandiosely, to ensure the city was aligning with the radical climate agenda first peddled by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019. Sellers-Garcia’s mission, per his official remit, is to advance climate action strategies that address social, racial, and economic inequality. In simpler terms, use the climate as a pretext to push for some form of equitable utopia.

Sellers-Garcia shared some “wisdom” about this new directive, saying, “the most sustainable way to make a green building is not to start from scratch.”

The final decree from the mayor’s office is that all new capital investments must contribute to “the decarbonization of Boston’s building sector.” Because who cares about fiscal responsibility and efficient resource allocation when you can signal your virtue to the world?

This latest move from Boston’s city administration demonstrates a shocking disregard for the practical realities of urban infrastructure and energy needs. In their rush to embrace feel-good policies and appease the climate change alarmists, they seem to have forgotten the essential purpose of public buildings – to serve the community efficiently and effectively, not as a symbol of climate ideology. Let’s hope the residents of Boston enjoy their new, fossil fuel-free future. After all, they will be the ones footing the bill for this grand exercise in absurdity.

HT/Willie Soon

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