On January 8, 2020, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed Executive Order 2020-01 to advance a Green New Deal for the city.[1] The executive order’s goals mirror those in the city’s climate action plan, released in April 2018, and includes substantial provisions for transitioning municipal buildings away from using fossil fuels through electrification.[2] Under the executive order, all new or substantially altered city-owned buildings will be required to use electricity rather than fossil fuels for activities such as heating, cooling, or cooking. In order for buildings to be considered completed or altered during the 2021 or 2022 budget year, strategies for using electricity over fossil fuels must be submitted by June 1, 2020. An interdepartmental team is tasked with forming a strategy to electrify buildings by January 2021.

By electrifying its buildings, Seattle is taking a big step towards reducing its carbon emissions. According to the Sierra Club, buildings are responsible for 35% of Seattle’s emissions.[3] Although there are some concerns that electrifying buildings does not solve issues of fossil fuel reliance—79% of national energy production comes from fossil fuels—, Seattle is a unique case.[4] According to the city’s utility, Seattle City Light, 91% of the city’s energy mix is hydroelectricity while coal and natural gas make up 1% each.[5]

[1] https://durkan.seattle.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/01/Final-Executive-Order-2020-01-Advancing-a-Green-New-Deal-for-Seattle_.pdf

[2] http://greenspace.seattle.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SeaClimateAction_April2018.pdf

[3] https://www.sierraclub.org/washington/sierra-club-s-response-mayor-durkan-s-executive-order

[4] https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41353

[5] https://www.seattle.gov/light/FuelMix/