Virtually no building in Boston has reported greenhouse gas emissions, despite new rule

Boston building owners could be granted an extension after many failed to submit their annual greenhouse gas emissions despite a new law requiring it by Dec. 15.

The Building Emissions Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO, which was passed in 2021, requires buildings to keep their emissions below progressively lower levels until 2050, with the aim of be net zero by that year.

All non-residential buildings of at least 20,000 square feet as well as residential buildings with more than 15 units fall under the ordinance, which is a larger group than last year according to the Boston Business Journal.

An extension of time has already been offered from June 15 of this year to December 15. About 71% of business owners have started the process of submitting their data, but very few have submitted their data for verification to an outside source and have been verified by it. The source.

According to the report of Boston Business Journal, several landowners have failed to report their emissions in the past with many datasets containing “obvious and significant errors”.

Hannah Payne, manager of Boston’s carbon neutral program, said some owners have reported delays in the data verification process.

Business groups A Better City and NAIOP Massachusetts have raised concerns about how companies can comply with emissions requirements while other programs are in effect at the state and national levels.

“We are certainly working with the BPDA to align BERDO and the proposed (net zero carbon) zoning as much as possible and will continue to keep the building community informed,” Payne said.