Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
NEWTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Newton is looking to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from large buildings across the city.
According to Newton officials, more than a quarter of the city's planet-warming emissions come from just 400 large buildings, which are soon to face some new regulations.
The city council this week passed a law known as BERDO—the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance—which aims to bring buildings' emissions down to net zero by 2050.
At the meeting, Newton City Council President Mark Laredo applauded the passage.
"There was a lot of time that went into [BERDO] and there was some compromise," he said. "But I'm personally very pleased to see this have such broad approval."
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BERDO has already been adopted by Boston and Cambridge. Under the ordinance, corporate and residential buildings larger than 200,000 square feet will have to record their emissions and report those levels to the city. Corporate buildings will also be required to take steps to bring emissions down.
A BERDO administrator and advisory committee will be tasked with implementation. City councilor Lenny Gentile called the ordinance "extremely complex."
"There's a lot of work to be done," said Gentile.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports