Local Advocacy Update - February 2023

Article written and contributed by Catherine Stanford.

Engagement in the City of Seattle Building Performance Standards Policy Development
 
BOMA has been significantly engaged with the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) since the passage of the Climate Action Plan in 2013. Regulatory tools to implement the plan impacted our members, including mandatory reporting and public disclosure of energy use; mandatory building tune-ups; building performance standards (BPS). We were successful in making changes to these ordinances to the benefit of our members.
 
Electrification
 
The idea of electrification (banning natural gas) began with proposals led by then Councilmember Mike O’Brien and in the context of the 2018 Building Code updates. BOMA was invited to a series of meetings between October 2019 and January 2020, as well as individual meetings with Councilmember O’Brien. We shared our concerns about the practicality of moving forward.
 
BOMA stayed engaged in the development of the 2018 Energy Codes and had several meetings with Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI). We testified at City Council in opposition to near-term bans on natural gas.
 
We met with OSE before the pandemic and were given a heads-up that the office was considering BPS policy development. We have engaged in OSE workshops as well as individual meetings with OSE to review and comment on the policy proposal.

Overall, we believe the City of Seattle is rushing the electrification legislation without the deep dive studies required for mandates that will significantly impact property owners of commercial buildings.
 
At BOMA, we have been considering the challenges associated with the proposed regulations through two lenses:
 
Feasibility/Path Getting to Net Zero
The feasibility of reaching the end goal of net zero and the path to get there is not clear. For over three years, we have been asking the OSE to provide us with building modeling that will answer questions related to the cost of building retrofits to meet targets; viable funding sources, and assurances that technology advances will make the goals achievable.
 
Long-Term Reliability of Power Generation and Transmission Grid
Seattle City Light (SCL) has not been able to demonstrate that it can meet the demand for additional electricity needed to fully implement electrification.  
 
Seattle City Light (SCL) has acknowledged that they are not able to ensure that the current infrastructure, storage, transmission equipment, and capacity are adequate to meet the upcoming needs.
 
We have had numerous meetings with SCL not only to discuss the viability of reliable energy, but also about the types of incentives that would be made available.
 
 
Next Steps
 
We have cultivated a good relationship with OSE and believe they have been sincere in their outreach. However, during our last meeting with them, we confirmed that we could not support this bill, nor propose alternate language to the bill, due to the nature of the underlying issues stated above.
 
The original timeline for moving forward with the bill was July 2022. Due to our continued efforts, the schedule has been pushed forward at least three times. At this time, SEPA will be done in mid-March, and legislative consideration in May/June.
 
BOMA Seattle King County has hired a consultant who will model 15 buildings with varying energy mix portfolios and 4-6 industrial/warehouse properties for compliance with the State Clean Buildings Act and Seattle’s proposed electrification legislation. This information will be available by the end of March.
 
We will continue to meet with OSE, Seattle City Light, and as well as policymakers at the City and our stakeholder partners.