Buildings owned or leased by the city of Bend aren’t getting any younger. When it comes time to renovate or replace them, the city says that could open the door to reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions.

Last month, city staff introduced a resolution that outlines how Bend city government can go about switching from fossil fuels to electricity for powering and heating its buildings. The draft states that Bend will exclude the use of fossil fuels in the operation of all newly constructed or substantially altered city-owned buildings. The resolution also impacts buildings leased long-term by the city.

There are no plans to vacate buildings currently powered or heated by fossil fuels, said Jacob Larsen, a city of Bend spokesperson.

The Bend City Council is expected to vote on the resolution at a meeting on Oct. 2.

The use of electricity over fossil fuels comes as Bend looks for new ways to meet lofty goals in its climate action plan. The city wants to slash fossil fuel use by 40% at its operations and facilities by 2030 and 70% by 2050, compared to 2016 levels.

Resolution focus

There are some potential exceptions to the new directive. These could occur due to technology limitations, emergency backup needs or cost constraints. When cost exemptions do occur, the building must be built in a manner to support an easy transition to electric or other net-zero or renewable energy systems, according to the draft resolution.

Bend’s climate targets are described in its Community Climate Action Plan, a set of strategies that guide the city and community to reduce fossil fuel use.

Bend’s new public works campus in the northeast part of the city — currently under development — adheres to the resolution’s goal, said Larsen. A future new City Hall would also meet the resolution’s objectives.

Other city-operated buildings powered or heated by fossil fuels will need to be upgraded only when big renovations or retrofits occur.

“This is about the city operating its business in a way that is consistent with the climate action for the community,” said Mike Riley, a Bend city councilor. “This is about walking the talk, on the city’s side.”

Catching up

Riley said the city is committed to reducing carbon emissions and building net-zero energy buildings whenever possible, which he believes will contribute to global warming reduction goals over the medium to long term.

“Bend has not been leading the pack. There have been other communities in the state, often in the Portland metro region that have been doing that. But I think we are catching up,” said Riley.

Initiatives designed to cut fossil fuel are already in place. Since 2022 Bend has purchased several electric vehicles to replace gas-powered ones. Its fleet now includes a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck, three Hyundai Konas and two Chevrolet Bolts. The city has also placed solar panels on many city-owned buildings.

The resolution includes findings from the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, which last year issued a report that projects the increase in temperatures expected to occur if fossil fuel burning continues. Without significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, the institute said in its report, Oregon’s annual temperature is projected to increase by 8.2 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s.

While Bend’s fossil fuel use is a fraction of global emissions, the resolution notes that the City Council “desires to lead by example and formalize the City’s commitment to eliminating fossil fuels from new and existing facilities through electrification of buildings.”

The resolution recognizes the challenge of using electricity sourced from power plants. These buildings still use fossil fuels because the utilities that supply power continue to burn coal.

A solution is to have utilities transition to renewable energy. Oregon House Bill 2021 seeks to do just that. The bill states that electric utilities must transition to 100% clean energy by 2040, with interim targets of 80% clean energy by 2030 and 90% clean energy by 2035.