Advocate for a Robust Building Decarbonization Program

With buildings accounting for almost 60 percent of Arlington’s greenhouse gas emissions, reducing overall energy use and eliminating onsite combustion of fossil fuels through electrification of heating, hot water, and cooking in our buildings are critical steps to addressing the unfolding climate crisis and meeting the County’s carbon neutrality goal. Key areas where the proposed GBIP can be improved include:

The Arlington County Board is expected to consider the proposed update of the Green Building Incentive Policy (GBIP), its primary vehicle for building decarbonization, at its December 14 meeting. As we noted in last month’s EcoAdvocate, the program, while ambitious and more expansive than the current program, needs to be strengthened in several areas. We live at a time of environmental crisis, and the County’s Policy should reflect this. The most recent UN climate report foresees “debilitating impacts to people, planet and economies” unless nations take a “quantum leap” in emissions reduction. 

• Making the Climate Adaptation Pathway, which is based on a gold standard for building decarbonization, the centerpiece of the policy by structuring the available incentives and assistance to favor this pathway.
• Strengthening energy efficiency targets for all other participants and advancing building electrification by making it mandatory for new construction and adaptive reuse and requiring electrification plans for other existing buildings
• Creating an incentive and outreach package, including tax incentives, cash payments, expedited permitting, access to financing mechanisms, and technical assistance as well as ongoing outreach and education on building decarbonization technology and available federal and state programs, that will make the program accessible and attractive to developers and building owners.
• Promoting installation of EV charging infrastructure, advancing the County’s tree canopy goals, reducing embodied carbon from construction, and addressing affordable housing needs.

EcoAction Arlington has sent the County Board the following letter and we ask that you take a few minutes to amplify our message by sending your own letter. We’ve made it easy to sign and send but encourage you to add a personal message of what’s important to you. Our County Board members are committed to climate action and your letters will encourage them to take more ambitious actions than what is currently being proposed.