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Bostonchamber
Boston Chamber
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          Women's Network
          2023 Pinnacle Awards

          The Pinnacle Awards is the premier event for women in business, and honors incredible leading women for their outstanding contributions to the workplace and commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the region.

          01/27/2023

          11:00am - 1:30pm

          Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          City Awake
          City Awake: BIPOC Young Professionals Coffee Networking

          Stay connected with Boston's entrepreneur, business, and innovation community! This event is hosted in partnership with Innovation Studio.

          02/13/2023

          8:30am - 10:30am

          Roxbury Innovation Center

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          City Awake
          Cook & Bake with City Awake

          Join City Awake for our first social experience event of 2023!

          02/27/2023

          4:45pm - 8:00pm

          Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Learning & Development
        • Learning & Development

          • Overview
          • Call for Nominations
          • Resources
        • Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Transformational DEI Certificate

          Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
  • Economic Inclusion
        • Economic Inclusion

          • Overview
          • Economic Inclusion Committee
          • Fierce Urgency of Now Festival
          • Pacesetters
          • Resources
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          Economic Inclusion

          Our Economic Inclusion Committee provides strategic support around research, policies, and programs that are focused on building equal opportunity.

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Fierce Urgency of Now Festival
          2023 Fierce Urgency of Now Festival

          The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.

          09/12/2023 -

          09/15/2023

          Greater Boston

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Policy & Impact
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          • Leadership Councils
          • Amicus Advisory Board
        • GET INVOLVED IN OUR POLICY FOCUS AREAS

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          Read More
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          Read More
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          Read More
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          Read More
          Transportation
          Read More
  • Our Networks
        • GBCC’s Networks

          • Overview
        • OUR NETWORKS

          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          Read More
          BIMA

          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For more than 25 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
          MITX

          Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          Read More
          Small Business

          We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.

          Read More
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Chamber Raises Concerns Over Boston Gas Ban Development

September 13, 2022

Dear City Council President Flynn,

On behalf of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and our 1,300 members, I write regarding Docket #1017, An Act Authorizing the City of Boston to Establish Fossil Fuel-Free Standards for New Construction and Major Renovation Projects.

The Chamber strongly supports the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, including net-zero greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2050. We recognize that reaching those goals will mean adapting to new methods and standards for the built environment and new energy sources for powering, heating, and cooling our buildings. However, we have significant concerns about the City Council’s home rule petition containing few details and developed without stakeholder feedback. Among our concerns is that potential fossil fuel-free building standards will have wide-ranging impacts on Boston’s development and economy. Furthermore, the state regulatory process governing implementation details has not begun.

For these reasons, the Chamber strongly urges the City Council to delay action on the petition until the Council considers concrete proposals, conducts an impacts analysis, and allows for technical feedback to avoid unintended or costly consequences to proposed standards.

Filed just weeks ago, the petition advanced with few details and little debate or analysis of the impact on development in the city despite wide ranging implications. City policies that dramatically impact the economy – including employers and homeowners – must be thoroughly considered and vetted prior to passage, particularly in the remote work environment. Although Boston is home to world class institutions in technology, health care, finance, research, higher education, and innovation, it faces increasingly formidable competition from regional and international competitors due to the high cost of local housing and development.

Despite broad references to a future process to develop an ordinance and an unspecified advisory committee, the petition fails to outline any guidance on the structure of proposed standards. While the Chamber understands that Boston wants to signal its interest in the state’s 10 municipality pilot program, such a broad petition sends a chilling signal for both residential and commercial development in the city, just as it grapples with some of the highest costs in the country.

In addition to these concerns, the Department of Energy Resources is responsible for promulgating regulations governing the pilot project for fossil fuel-free building standards but has not begun that process. These regulations may outline requirements for home-rule petitions, ordinances, or processes that are not contemplated within this petition. It is premature to move forward without a full picture of how the pilot program will work.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

 

James E. Rooney
President and CEO

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Boston, MA 02110
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