No time to waste on ‘stretch code’

Thank you for your recent coverage of the City Council discussion of the “stretch code” aimed at the decarbonization of Worcester's building stock (Batista Backs New Electrification Building Code; Activists Push Faster Action, Aug. 18; Batista Adopts Faster Building Electrification Code Timeline Favored by Activists, Aug. 24).

The urgency of the climate crisis cannot be overstated. We are currently experiencing its effects all around us, and we must take action to create a more sustainable future. This applies in a special way to Worcester, because the city is a prominent “landing spot” for immigrants and refugees, many of them forced from their homes directly or indirectly by the climate crisis. My seven years as vice president for program at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation have convinced me that we have no time to waste.

While I am pleased that City Manager Eric Batista has adjusted the proposed policy's implementation date from Jan. 1, 2025, to July 1, 2024, faster action is needed.

I was especially disappointed with the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce's suggestion to delay the adoption of the new code. This delay would create an unnecessary impediment to progress and is not justified when weighed against the immense benefits of switching to electrification. We must act now to mitigate the effects of climate change and to ensure a more sustainable future for this community and our planet. A quicker adoption of the proposed new state building code is essential to this effort.

Christopher M. O'Keeffe, Marlborough