Portland proposal would require large buildings to track emissions and reach zero carbon by 2050

Portland city councilors are considering a code change that would require owners of apartment and commercial buildings 20,000 square feet or larger to report annual energy use and cut fossil fuel consumption stepwise to zero by 2050. Buildings that miss performance targets would face a carbon pollution impact fee starting at $380 per metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions above the allowed level. The proposal is scheduled for another committee vote on Dec. 1. Natural gas utility NW Natural pushed back during a public hearing, arguing that stakeholders were excluded and that the plan ignores heating needs during winter power outages. Supporters say the fee is needed to make large buildings pay for emissions they currently avoid pricing. The proposal is one of the more concrete local attempts to tie building regulation directly to carbon reduction, though questions remain about enforcement, grid capacity, and how the fee will change over time.