Friday, Oct 14th was a big day, and it was a great one.
Nearly 40 folks showed up in person at the State Building Codes Council hearing in Olympia. Dozens of others showed up on Zoom for the hearing making for a total of 64 folks testifying (in person and on zoom) in support of the energy code updates (only 24 voices in opposition).
This has been a major effort to ensure that our new homes are built all-electric—without relying on fossil gas—and we wanted to acknowledge all the hard work, passion, and commitment that’s gone in to making climate-friendly, healthy homes a reality for Washington.
In the last few months many, many people made their voices heard in favor of these healthier, climate-friendly homes: 4,650 to be exact! Not only that but:
- 17 environmental organizations contributed to this campaign.
- There were letters from 18 building industry organizations, 7 affordable housing organizations, 16 racial justice organizations, 2 health care organizations, and over 100 faith leaders.
- 68 local elected officials from all parts of the state.
This incredible showing really represents the fabric and diversity of our community by demonstrating who is affected, and who is wanting to create a better way forward.
We think the State Building Code Council will make its decision in November. We will keep you updated. We hope the SBCC will follow its actions from earlier this year when Washington passed the most climate-friendly statewide building energy codes in the country for new commercial and multi-family (four stories and above) buildings.
We will make an official announcement as soon as the decision is made.
For now, thank you everyone that has done a great job in working to assure we build our homes without fossil fuels in the future. Take a breather, thank yourselves and everyone you know who helped get to this moment. This is how positive change is made.
