An Op-Ed by 350 Seattle

Over 800 people from our region tragically perished in the heat dome of 2021 and each year heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. Just this week, heat and drought related wildfires are blazing out of control and clogging our air with dangerous fumes. Frighteningly, each year we live through is likely to be worse than the one before and this won’t stop until humans stop emitting dangerous greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere. 

It’s been 20 years since Seattle City Leaders began promising climate action. Since then, heat waves and wildfire smoke have become our new normal, and Seattle’s climate pollution has only increased, when instead, our city should be leading the country on climate solutions. With our health, our families and our future on the line - we cannot afford to wait any longer. 

This summer, the Seattle city council has the opportunity to pass a Green New Deal policy that supports green jobs, green buildings and climate-resilient communities. The Building Emissions Performance Standards (BEPS) policy sets timelines to move Seattle’s biggest buildings off fossil fuels. A strong BEPS policy could tackle a major source of Seattle's climate pollution, create thousands of good green union jobs, and bring life-saving cooling to homes across Seattle. This framework is an essential tool to end our city’s climate pollution that should become law without delay. 

Alarmingly, special-interest groups have lobbied Mayor Bruce Harrell to pull the BEPS policy altogether. His office was supposed to forward the policy along to the city Council last week and instead has missed its own deadline. The only explanation for the delay is that the policy’s opponents, the same real estate giants and wealthy corporations that donated to his campaign, have been lobbying his office to weaken and delay this climate plan.

Mayor Harrell can act now to lead our region and the nation by passing these Green New Deal policies this year. Seattle can build out our local green economy while creating living-wage union jobs and economic opportunity for all. Seattle can protect the health of our communities and climate. Seattle can do all this if we pass the BEPS policy. I urge you to reach out to the mayor’s office by phone at (206) 684-4000 and let him know about your support for the Building Emissions Performance Standards policy (BEPS) and critically, for him to send the policy to the city council without delay!

Sincerely,

Jess Wallach

Electrify Seattle Campaign Director

350 Seattle

Electrify Seattle Campaign Website

Published: 8/29/2023