Washington communities are flexing their climate leadership, expanding access to clean, safe, all-electric buildings. This past Monday, Shoreline residents spoke powerfully at a City Council meeting, urging the city to phase out the use of fossil gas, citing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and safety. 

At the end of the meeting, Councilmembers directed staff to develop an ordinance that would prohibit the use of fossil fuels for space and water heating in new commercial and large multifamily buildings (defined as over four stories). So far, local governments have focused on new commercial and large multifamily buildings because those restrictions can be imposed through the commercial energy code, where cities and counties have the clearest legal authority to act.

By taking this bold step, Shoreline will follow in the footsteps of Seattle, where a similar policy was passed in February 2021. King County and Bellingham are also working on similar policies, while other entities like Tacoma and Seattle Public Schools have also made commitments to phasing out gas in buildings. 

This effort is far from over in Shoreline: once city staff develop the ordinance, it will need to go back to Shoreline City Council for a vote. And we know that the gas industry and its allies will be fighting back – we saw gas industry allies spreading misinformation about heat pumps even at this week’s meeting. If you live or work in Shoreline, you can help let the city know that you support all-electric buildings by sending a thank you email to councilmembers here.