Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2020
NEW YORK, NY — January 15, 2020 - Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg today outlined his approach to phasing out pollution from homes and buildings, making them safer and more affordable for all Americans as part of his ambitious plans to address climate change. Mike will prioritize a push for cleaner buildings in his first term as president, building on his successful track record of reducing building energy use and replacing fossil fuels in buildings as mayor and an environmentalist. Through the right mix of policies, Mike will also unlock a market with hundreds of thousands of American jobs in upgrading the nation’s residential and commercial buildings while transitioning the sector off of fossil fuels. 

Most importantly, Mike’s plan ensures that America’s transition to clean and more efficient buildings is fair and equitable by helping homeowners, building owners, and tenants upgrade their homes and commercial buildings to save energy and eliminate pollution. Mike’s initiatives specifically prioritize low-income and underserved communities that have historically felt disproportionate impacts of air pollution -- often communities also less likely to have access to affordable, modern housing. He will ramp up building codes and appliance standards to push toward a future where all new buildings are carbon-free. Mike will also create new incentive programs that make cleaner appliances and buildings affordable for every family -- helping produce cleaner air, more efficient homes and greater access to clean energy. 

In contrast, President Trump, in addition to denying the existence of climate change, has continuously worked to undermine efforts to cut emissions, including delaying energy-efficiency standards for appliances. Just last week, the Trump administration unveiled significant changes to the National Environmental Policy Act that would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects without considering climate change. 

“While the Climate-Denier-in-Chief remains stuck in the past, I’m running for president to rebuild our country and lead us into a clean energy future,” said Mike Bloomberg. “Accelerating the transition to 100% clean buildings will cut pollution, save people money, and create new jobs – and I’ve helped prove that as a mayor, a business leader, and an environmentalist. As president, I’ll super-charge this work and reclaim America's rightful place as the global leader on these issues.”   

Relying on fossil fuels for heat and hot water, the building sector represents 12% of total U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, but cleaner and cheaper alternatives are available today. Energy-efficient buildings save people money on their utility bills, and allow people to live and work in greater comfort while reducing health risks such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and cancer. 

HOW MIKE WILL GET IT DONE

Mike’s blueprint for clean buildings is based on ambitious, near-term and achievable policies that build on his decades of climate progress. 
 

• Mike will make energy efficiency affordable for everyone. Mike’s plan specifically prioritizes low-income and underserved communities that have historically felt disproportionate impacts of air pollution and are less likely to have access to affordable, modern housing. Mike will remove barriers that have prevented widespread adoption of efficiency upgrades, making low-carbon, energy-efficient homes and businesses accessible to all, especially low-income homeowners and renters through a mix of proposals, including point-of-sale rebates, tax incentives, low-cost financing and the expansion of federal grant programs.
• Mike will set ambitious, high-efficiency standards for new buildings and federal government buildings. Mike will push for zero-carbon and hyper-efficient new buildings across the country with new model building codes and appliance standards by 2025, and help cities and states adopt them. He will also ensure that the federal government -- landlord of nearly 377 million square feet of commercial real estate -- leads by example through the implementation of building efficiency and electrification strategies. 
• Mike will create new rebates, financing and other incentives to ensure the transition to cleaner buildings is affordable and reduces energy costs for all. Mike’s program will bring together manufacturers, retailers and contractors so that families and landlords looking for new appliances or renovations are connected to the cleanest options, with incentives to ensure affordability. 
• Mike will create jobs and strengthen long-term economic growth. Mike’s program to update appliances, upgrade and retrofit buildings will engage contractors, manufacturers, construction unions, retailers, and public and private partners to implement at the necessary speed and scale and require a skilled workforce to execute. His plan will also expand workforce training and development programs to further ensure a clean energy and pollution-free future. 
• Mike will drive innovation and follow the data. While the Trump administration has tried to slash federal investment in renewable energy research, Mike will quadruple investments in clean energy research and development to improve performance and reduce costs for heat pumps, induction stoves and other high-performance low-emissions building equipment, as well as to develop smart grid technologies that support on-site clean energy, energy storage and demand response.

This plan is just one in a series of bold, near-term, and achievable actions that Mike is releasing to combat climate change by cutting emissions in the U.S. by 50% by 2030. Mike’s clean energy plan includes three core pillars that put the nation on the pathway to full decarbonization before mid-century. Mike’s 100% Clean Buildings plan follows his 100% Clean Power plan to transition the nation to clean energy by closing all remaining coal plants and replacing gas plants with clean energy like wind and solar. Mike will soon release the third pillar of his plan, focused on clean transportation.

President Trump has made regulatory rollbacks of key environmental protections and sustainability initiatives central to his destructive, fossil fuel-funded agenda. He has slashed dozens of effective climate-forward measures designed to save consumers money and reduce emissions, including reversing energy efficient lightbulb standards, proposing the withdrawal of efficiency standards for more efficient residential furnaces and commercial water heaters and creating a product category to allow certain dishwashers to be exempt from energy efficiency standards. Trump has also refused to allow the Senate to act on the Kigali agreement to phase out super-pollutant HFC refrigerants — making the U.S. the only major industrial country to not ratify the international agreement. Meanwhile, the Trump Organization’s carbon footprint is drawing scrutiny: Trump-owned buildings in New York City face millions of dollars in fines if they continue failing to comply with the city’s emissions standards.

For additional information on Mike’s plan, see here.

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

“Mike Bloomberg doesn’t simply put out plans to tackle climate change — he actually gets something done," said San Jose California Mayor and California Co-Chair Sam Liccardo. "For more than a decade, Mike has led, educated, and inspired mayors and global leaders to adopt robust greenhouse gas reduction policies against the strong opposition of powerful coal, oil, and gas industries. This plan builds on Mike's landmark climate and buildings policies in New York, and ensures that all Americans can benefit from the financial, environmental and health advantages of cleaner, more energy-efficient buildings.” 

"As mayor, Mike Bloomberg demonstrated that climate-smart policy creates green jobs, saves taxpayer dollars, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates healthier working environments – and I'm confident he'll do even more as president,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and Chair, International WELL Building Institute and former founding chair and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council. "Mike's plan for clean buildings will allow for needed federal investment in tools and policies to enhance the energy efficiency and human health focused sustainability of our buildings and in turn support state and local governments to fund and enforce regulations for high-performing energy-efficient buildings.”

Andrea Pinabell, President, Southface Institute said, "Mike's plan for green buildings is comprehensive and will reduce costs while significantly lowering energy use. Clean building policies are critical for transforming our new and existing building stock to be water and energy efficient, powered by clean energy and healthy for everyone. This will also create significant economic opportunity and jobs in both rural and urban communities across the country." 

“Our homes, offices, and public buildings are huge contributors to climate change -- yet they are often overlooked when we discuss climate solutions,” said Susan Leeds, founding CEO of NYCEEC. “Mike recognizes the urgency of overhauling our building sector, and he also knows that a transition to carbon-free building allows people to live and work in greater comfort. Mike’s plan will decarbonize our buildings and in turn, bring the incredible health and economic benefits of energy efficiency to all Americans.”

“Having worked on and helped implement energy efficient and green building policies at the local, state, and federal levels for over 20 years, I know first-hand the urgent need for a clear and ambitious building decarbonization policy at the national level, " said Matt Petersen President & CEO of LACI and former Chief Sustainability Officer for Los Angeles. “That’s why a plan like Mike Bloomberg’s clean buildings proposal will not only create jobs and make our economy more competitive, it will be key to tackling the climate crisis.”

“Mike's plan is exactly the level-headed plan we need to accomplish both our climate and affordable housing needs. All-electric buildings are a global trend because they cost less to build. In a world of steadily increasing construction costs, both materials and labor, this is a step forward for the building industry,” said Sean Armstrong, Managing Principal, Redwood Energy.

"Emissions from buildings are growing at the fastest rate ever, and building electrification is the best answer to cutting a major source of climate pollution." said Panama Bartholomy, Director of the California Building Decarbonization Coalition. "While California is leading by example, we need more leadership from Washington. Mike Bloomberg's focus on building-sector emissions shows his continued leadership on addressing the climate crisis." 

"In New York City, I have seen first-hand the level of innovation required to transition large buildings to become more clean and efficient," said Russell Unger, Principal at Russell Unger Consulting LLC and former Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer of the Urban Green Council. "Mike's plan for clean buildings is a visionary, multi-pronged approach to decarbonizing buildings across the country." 

"The buildings and construction sector can act and must respond to the climate emergency facing this country," said Bob Fox, Partner Emeritus, COOKFOX Architects, who built the first skyscraper to receive LEED Platinum certification in the U.S. and is a leader on green building design. "Mike Bloomberg's plan for zero carbon buildings critically ensures that owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and policymakers redirect their focus to reduce embodied carbon and build a climate-safe future."

"We need bold measures from the federal level down to the local to address energy efficiency and buildings' impacts on climate change," said Cliff Majersik, a leading expert on market-based policies to advance high performing buildings as part of broader decarbonization strategies. "Mike's sweeping plan addresses existing and new buildings, which will save money, create jobs, boost property value, dramatically reduce carbon emissions, and improve quality of life across the United States.”
 
Bruce Nilles, Senior Advisor on Climate, Energy and Environment said, “Mike's buildings plan sets the high water mark for how to phase out fossil fuels from 70 million buildings, create millions of new jobs, and ensure low-income families and renters are enjoying the benefits of a clean energy economy too. This is exactly the leadership we need in Washington to confront the greatest challenge of our generation.”

Carl Pope, former Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Mike’s Senior Advisor and co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, Climate of Hope said, “Mike’s plan for homes and offices free of pollution, cheaper to heat and cook and safe for the climate is unique; it’s based on the tested and proven leadership of cities, businesses and states.”

"Decarbonizing our economy on the timeline that Mike has proposed will require true market transformation in the buildings sector," said Antha Williams, Mike's Senior Advisor on Climate, Energy and Environment. "Mike has the experience setting and implementing the policy changes we will need to achieve this vision for clean and healthy buildings – just one component of his ambitious climate agenda for all Americans."