Massachusetts Town Bans Propane, Fossil Fuel On New Construction

As a Massachusetts town bans propane and fossil fuels many are wondering how it will affect their lifestyle. In Lexington, 73% of  greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. Much of that is driven by fossil fuel systems used to heat and cool our homes and businesses.

But before we pack our bags and move to a grilling are us, zipcode, this new rule has exemptions. The law prohibits fossil fuel use on new construction. Plus there are many exemptions to the ban.

The town of Lexington Massachusetts law went into effect March 21. According to the towns website:

No building permits will be issued by the Town for new construction or major renovations (50%) that include the installation of new on-site fossil fuel infrastructure. This includes piping for coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuels in a building, within the property lines of a premise, or connecting a supply tank to a building.

Yes, there are exemptions. Fossil fuel use is allowed for:

There are many programs and financial incentives at the federal, state, and local level that can help developers and homeowners comply with the Fossil Fuel Free Bylaw. The Towns of Lexington, Acton, and Arlington collaborated on an Energy Efficient and Fossil Fuel Free Building Requirements website that provides more details on what is available. The Rebates & Incentives page covers the available resources to support compliance.

Many more towns are interested in this ban as well.

According to Lexingtonma.gov:

Starting in 2019, several communities in Massachusetts passed local bylaws that would allow them to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new development. Ultimately, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office did not approve these bylaws because state regulations such as the Building Code preempt local bylaws. After this ruling 10 communities passed Home Rule Petitions, asking the state for the authority to restrict the use of fossil fuels. 

The 10 communities are:

Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton and West Tisbury.

Massachusetts Town Bans Propane: find out more.

What are the happiest cities in Massachusetts? I was scrolling through the web yesterday and stumbled upon this question which made me wonder. But before we can reveal the top 7, we must look at the criteria to what being happy means.

The list was posted on the website www.creditdonkey.com. They mention how irritable many people in Massachusetts are. I mean let's be honest. We do have a reputation for being rude. We are especially rude to outsiders. But what we do have is pride. Massachusetts and New Englanders are very prideful of where they're from. The criteria for happy cities comes from these 7 areas: Restaurants, crime rate, commute, departure time, income, divorce rate and housing.

I found it interesting that according to this study, they find people who work earlier are happier. So they take into account commute time and how early people in these cities leave for work everyday. If they leave before 5am, that's a plus. Obviously income plays a big factor so median income per household has to be a factor. Not to mention the divorce rate can play a factor on someone's happiness.

They are also only looking at cities that have a population of 15,000 or more. Shout out to the city of Leominster who cracked the top 10 in this list. Leominster made the list because of its $60,000 median income and affordable housing costs. If you live in Leominster, do you agree? Are there cities that should have made the list? We're always looking for your opinions. In the meantime, here are the 7 happiest cities in Massachusetts.

In Marlborough, the median household income is a little over $70,000. Odds of being the victim of a violent crime: 1 in 335.4 and the average commute time: 26.8 minutes. Not to mention you have the Solomon Pond Mall and several game places like axe throwing and Breakout Games.

Gloucester being right on the beach definitely helps the ranking. Many love breathing in sea air daily. Crime is very low here as well.  Restaurants per capita: 1 per 275 inhabitant and the odds of being the victim of a violent crime: 1 in 1,084.1.  If you've been to Gloucester it's easy to understand the happiness factor. 

Located in the North Shore, Peabody has a median household income: $67,052. There are some fun breweries in Peabody. Not to mention it's right next door to Salem so if looking for witches is your thing, just walk right next door.  Odds of being the victim of a violent crime: 1 in 430.7

Waltham is a GREAT place to live. The restaurant scene here is outstanding. Restaurants per capita: 1 per 238 inhabitants. Moody Street alone has endless restaurants and offer outdoor dining in the summer for your convenience. There are fabulous walking trails and it is relatively safe here with odds of being the victim of a violent crime: 1 in 422.8.

Makes sense that Newton is on this list seeing as how it borders Waltham. Although living in Newton is pretty costly. Safety in Newton is key as crime rates are extremely low. The restaurant scene is booming. And the median income of a household in Newton is well over $100,000.

The main reason Woburn came in second on the list is because the great scores in the categories of violent crime rate, average commute time and employee wages.  Located north of Boston, Woburn is known for lower home prices. From indoor dog parks to various entertainment centers, many will say they are extremely happy to live in Woburn. 

Located well west of Boston, Westfield tops the list of happiest cities in Massachusetts. Crime is relatively low here and so is the cost of living. There are several parks here and there is a sense of community here with many community events taking place each year.