Electrify

The city of Bend is not coming for your gas stove. It does have its eye on reducing fossil fuels and encouraging electrification.

What do you think it should do?

The Bend City Council chose a “go slow” approach in March to any changes to promote electrification. The slow time may be ending. A city committee looked this week at eight options.

The committee is trying to figure out which the city should push to accomplish, push less hard or not push. The options are a mix – from incentives, to requirements, to encouraging the state to take the lead.

In no particular order, they are:

Incentives. These would be voluntary programs to encourage people to do things such as switch to electric furnaces, water heaters, stoves and so on. They could be for new homes and buildings and existing ones. The city could do things such as prioritize permitting or allow density bonuses for all-electric developments.

Fees. The city would put fees in place that would be a disincentive for people to use fossil fuels in new construction. The fees could help pay for incentives for people to electrify. The fees could be on non-electric systems and adjusted by how much gas they use.

Local regulations. The city could create restrictions or requirements to reduce fossil fuels in new or existing construction. It could establish nitrogen oxide emission standards for new appliances in old and new buildings.

Education. The city could develop new programs to better inform people about electrification and how to switch. It’s likely one of the easiest things to do. By itself, it may not lead to much change.

Building code. The city could go to the state and secure local authority to change the building code to promote electrification, requiring electrification in new construction or for major remodels. This could result in a patchwork of differing regulations across the state. If the building code must be changed, we think it would make more sense not to have it vary from city to city. Of course, some would argue that would mean Oregon continues to move too slow on climate change.

State-level advocacy on regulations. The city could encourage the state to allow local governments to limit or prohibit fossil fuels.

State-level advocacy on electrification. The city could encourage the state to take more action on boosting electrification, such as creating state incentives.

City-owned buildings. The city has already been moving on prioritizing electrification in city buildings.

There’s no guarantee that anything will happen without community support. There may be legal challenges. Money to take action may be hard to find.

The committee is working on a recommendation for the Bend City Council. If you lean toward the green end of the spectrum or the non-green end, councilors should hear from you about what you want the city to do. Email them at council@bendoregon.gov. You can find more information here: tinyurl.com/ElectrifyingBend.