Greater Boston Chamber Transportation First Series
April 17, 2025
On April 15, Kate Dineen, A Better City President & CEO, participated in the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Transportation First series alongside Jim Rooney, President & CEO of the Boston Chamber, and Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief of Streets for the City of Boston, to discuss the City of Boston’s focus on local transportation modes. Attendees first heard from Jascha Franklin-Hodge, who discussed the City’s current transportation priorities and outlined the vision for moving people throughout Boston and its neighborhoods. Following the address, he was joined by Kate Dineen and Jim Rooney for their conversation on solutions and opportunities for businesses and communities to shape the future of transportation in the City of Boston. This event was the third installment of the Chamber's Transportation First series, which offers a platform to discuss the urgent challenges Greater Boston faces by bringing in experts and changemakers to explore the issues and potential solutions for the future of the Commonwealth. This series will help raise broader awareness among employees and employers who are affected by the transit system every . . .
PowerCorps Boston Building Operations Cohort #3 Graduation
April 16, 2025
On April 3rd, 2025, A Better City joined Mayor Wu and the whole
A Better City Testifies In Support of Additional Fair Share Surtax Funding for MBTA
April 14, 2025
On April 3rd, A Better City President & CEO Kate Dineen testified in support of House Bill 55, which would invest $857 million in Fair Share surtax dollars in our statewide transportation system, including critically needed funds to stabilize the MBTA's near-term operating budget. Last week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill that included this money. You can read A Better City's testimony here.
This “supplemental budget” spending bill is the first piece of Governor Healey’s plan to implement the recommendations of the Transportation Funding Task Force. Back in January, the Task Force called for the state to provide additional support for the MBTA by using some existing Fair Share surtax money that is currently being held in reserve. This spending plan is part of the effort to achieve a 50-50 split of Fair Share surtax revenue . . .
Mayor Wu's State of the City Address
March 20, 2025
On March 19, 2025, Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her annual State of the City address at MGM Music Hall at Fenway. While celebrating recent accomplishments and previewing new initiatives, Mayor Wu acknowledged the contributions of several A Better City member companies and institutions, including: Mass General Brigham, National Grid, Related Beal, UMass Boston, and Vertex. In addition, the Mayor acknowledged the successful Boston Family Days program, which includes the Boston Children’s Museum, Franklin Park Zoo, Museum of Science, and New England Aquarium.
During the speech, Mayor Wu spotlighted Slader Montina, who is a graduate of the PowerCorpsBOS building operator training program that is a partnership between the City of Boston, A Better City, and dozens of A Better City member companies and institutions. Slader, who immigrated from Haiti at age seven and is formerly homeless, graduated from PowerCorpsBOS in 2023 and is currently employed in building operations at a Related Beal property downtown. Learn more about the PowerCorpsBOS program here.
The Mayor also previewed several new initiatives, including:
- Expanding the office-to-residential conversion program to universities and employers looking to reactivate office buildings as dorms or workforce housing;
- Establishing a Business Recruitment Office to fill commercial vacancies, retain and attract talent, and . . .
Designated Port Area Regulatory Reforms
March 18, 2025
As part of the 2024 economic development bill, or Mass Leads Act, statutory language was included to update the scope and function of designated port areas (DPAs) so that any DPA upgrades would incorporate climate resilience for the first time. With DPAs traditionally intended to serve multiple uses across maritime interests, economic development, and waterfront access, DPAs remain as critical components of Boston’s economic competitiveness, and will need to become more resilient to increasing climate hazards impacting the Boston region. In Boston Harbor, A Better City (ABC) member businesses and institutions are climate resilience leaders who work in the South Boston/Seaport DPA, the East Boston DPA, and the Mystic River DPAs.
In February 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Department of Coastal Zone Management (MassCZM) hosted a series of public hearings to solicit input on anticipated regulations associated with section 295 of the Mass Leads Act, regarding DPAs. In anticipation of regulatory language, A Better City offered a series of recommendations, as follows:
- Encouraging Co-Benefits in Resilient Designated Port Area Project Implementation: ABC appreciates the inclusion of climate resilience criteria as they relate to the development of regulations for Designated Port Areas (DPAs) in Section 295 of the Mass Leads Act, specifically the inclusion of coastal flood resilience in Section D, and inland neighborhood resilience to flooding in Section G. A Better City recommends expanding these criteria within pending DPA regulations to encompass more holistic approaches to climate resilience across multiple climate hazards, including coastal and stormwater flooding, storm surge, extreme heat, drought, and . . .
Meeting Recap: January 27th Transportation & Infrastructure Advisory Committee Meeting
February 20, 2025
The Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Advisory Committee met on January 27, 2025, to discuss transportation funding initiatives, policy priorities, and strategic goals for the year. Kate Dineen, President & CEO of A Better City, opened the meeting, followed by a review of the Governor’s Transportation Funding Task Force recommendations and the proposed H1 budget. The task force’s final report, released on January 14, outlined strategies to stabilize, enhance, and transform transportation financing. Recommendations included increasing Chapter 90 funding by at least 50%, expanding Fair Share revenues to strengthen borrowing capacity, and reassessing user-based fees to support climate and economic goals. Governor Healey’s $8 billion, ten-year investment plan—now awaiting legislative approval—directly supports MBTA improvements and the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project.
The Governor’s plan allocates $756 million from the state budget and an additional $857 million through a supplemental budget for immediate infrastructure needs. The Fair Share surtax, designed to be split 50-50 between transportation and education, has generated more revenue than the state has spent in the past two years. However, transportation has only received 41% of these funds, prompting calls to ensure the intended distribution is met. The administration proposes using Fair Share revenues to stabilize MBTA operations, increase borrowing capacity, and provide predictable funding for Regional Transit Authorities.
For the MBTA, funding focuses on maintaining operations, accelerating the delivery of new Red and Orange Line cars, and advancing the fare transformation program. The plan prioritizes service reliability, accessibility, and preparation toward a transition to a fully electrified commuter rail network, beginning with infrastructure upgrades and the Fairmount Line Decarbonization Pilot.
For the I-90 Allston . . .
MA Large Building Energy Reporting Update
February 19, 2025
On December 30, 2024, the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed its final draft regulations on Large Building Energy Reporting (LBER) with the joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. This requires electricity, gas, and steam utilities to report usage data on behalf of covered buildings (20,000 square feet and above). Building owners need to report on usage of additional energy sources such as oil, propane, wood, and on-site renewable energy generation. Annually, by May 30, all energy usage needs to be provided for the previous calendar year. For 2025, the reporting deadline will be June 30, 2025.
Thanks to member engagement on this important topic, A Better City provided a robust set of comments resulting in important changes to the regulations:
- 27.02: Energy Usage for Building Owners: There was confusion about what utilities and building . . .
MA Stretch Energy Codes Update
February 19, 2025
On February 14th, the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released updates to the Stretch and Specialized Energy codes for residential and commercial buildings. Many of you attended an A Better City’s focus group and provided comments on these proposed updates in Fall 2024.
The updated codes went into effect immediately and can be found:
BEUDO Regulatory Process Update
February 19, 2025
The City of Cambridge passed the updated Building Energy Use and Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) in June 2023 with a rigorous set of steps and deadlines for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 for non-residential buildings 100,000 square feet or larger, and by 2050 for non-residential buildings 25,000-100,000 square feet.
Cambridge is going through a similar process to Boston by creating detailed regulations for BEUDO in multiple phases. The first set of regulations contained information on carbon emissions calculations and ways in which owners can purchase renewable energy to offset emissions created from grid electricity. A Better City provided comments on this regulatory phase.
Regulatory language on these topics was approved and posted to the BEUDO website in December 2024. Emission factors were published in BEUDO procedures.
The next phase of . . .
Meeting Recap: February 6th Energy & Environment Advisory Committee Meeting
February 18, 2025
The Energy & Environment (E&E) Advisory Committee met on February 6, 2025, to discuss the draft 2025-2026 policy agenda that frames the workplan for our E&E Unit. The E&E Unit’s 2024 accomplishments were also discussed.
The E&E policy agenda is reviewed and updated at the start of every two-year legislative session. The 2025-2026 E&E policy agenda pushes for equitable climate policies across mitigation, adaptation, energy, and climate funding, as well as for aligned and coordinated approaches to such policies across jurisdictions and at a regional scale. It has 4 major goals:
Goal 1: Mitigate the Progression of Climate Change & Scale Up Decarbonization of the Built Environment focused on continued advocacy to promote and advance the decarbonization of buildings to support the City and State in meeting their statutory climate goals, and a continued partnership with the City of Boston’s PowerCorpsBOS Building Operations program that provides pathways into large building operations in member and partner buildings.
Goal 2: Adapt to the Effects Of Climate Change & Promote Critical Infrastructure and community Resilience focused on promoting adaptation policies across federal, state, and city levels with a focus on critical infrastructure and community resilience, supporting the implementation of community-based heat resilience solutions, and tracking the implementation of nature-based solutions.
Goal 3: Promote the Decarbonization, Reliability, And Resilience Of Our Energy Supply focused on supporting ongoing efforts to accelerate the equitable, reliable, and affordable decarbonization and resilience . . .
