Seattle Passes Building Emissions Law

Seattle building owners and managers will be tasked with developing plans to decarbonize their buildings by 2050 under a new city law that is expected to reduce building emissions by 27 percent by 2050, reports Amanda Zhou of The Seattle Times in Governing.

“The law, which Seattle City Council members voted unanimously to approve, applies to about 4,100 buildings that are 20,000 square feet or larger, including skyscrapers, retail stores, research facilities, community centers, offices and some low-rise apartment buildings.” These buildings, Zhou explains make up 3 percent of the city’s building stock but produce more than one-third of total building emissions.

Building owners will get assistance through a city program designed to help them transition funded by federal dollars and $4.5 million in city funds. The program includes a wide array of exceptions and delayed deadlines, including buildings with industrial and manufacturing uses, affordable housing and human services buildings, and buildings facing “high vacancy rates or financial distress.”