The evidence says Article 33 is the right call

By Guest

Dear Editor:

I want to thank Tim Shanahan for his letter that appeared in the April 30 issue of the Canton Citizen. Civic debate makes us stronger, and he raises questions worth answering honestly. Rather than just rebutting his piece, which has been done elsewhere, I want to step above the fray and speak from the heart.

I spent 35 years inside the energy industry — as an economist, utility analyst, regulatory affairs professional, and compliance and ethics executive. I have sat in countless boardrooms, regulatory hearings, and community meetings where energy and environmental decisions get made. I have seen firsthand what happens when communities both fight for their rights and wait too long to act.

The free market that Mr. Shanahan invokes is not, and has never been, truly free. Our aging energy system was built over a century with enormous public investment, public land, and public subsidy. Further, the true costs of burning fossil fuels — the health impacts, the climate consequences, the grid vulnerabilities — have never been fully priced into our energy bills. Someone always pays. My biggest concern — that someone will be our children and our grandchildren.

That is why I believe Canton’s Climate Action Plan and Decarbonization Roadmap were necessary in the first place. Not as ideology, but as a playbook toward a livable future. Yes, there is a cost to energize our lives, and affordability is a critical consideration. Article 33 addresses this rising tension through improved construction practices and the use of heat pumps, which are up to three times more efficient than a traditional fossil-fuel-based furnace. For example, when you use one unit of energy to get three units of heat, the operational cost often ends up lower than oil or propane and very competitive with natural gas.

Let’s be clear — the cost of doing nothing is more severe storms, exposure to more volatile energy prices, more expensive retrofits, and a grid increasingly strained by demand we failed to plan for. This is a far higher cost than the cost of taking measured, responsible steps today. Article 33 is one of those steps.

Is the future uncertain? Absolutely. But uncertainty cuts both ways. Doing nothing is also a choice — and a costly one, especially over time. Every new building constructed without pre-wiring for electrification is a building that will cost its future owner far more to upgrade later. We already know this, which is why the Galvin Middle School is being built to this standard. The Specialized Code simply ensures that private developers are held to the same standard we set for our own children’s schools.

If Canton delays, then we risk falling behind our neighbors like Dedham, Milton, Needham, Norwood, and Sharon, all of whom have already passed the Specialized Code. We also risk losing access to $1.15M of important grant funding, which gives Canton a competitive advantage in lowering the coming taxpayer burden to retrofit our aging municipal buildings.

Over the past several years, I have spent many hours in the service of Canton critically examining the evidence, the trade-offs, and the alternatives with an eye toward the future and our public good. I have met with many boards and committees, residents and businesses. I have carefully listened to the concerns on both sides of this debate. And I have concluded, on balance, that adopting Article 33 is the right call — a modest, carefully designed step change in our code that protects future building owners, minimizes the impact on our economic development, and keeps driving toward a cleaner, more affordable energy future.

Please visit the Article 33 website at www.town.canton.ma.us for a full set of FAQs. The evidence is there. Judge it for yourself.

One small step for Canton. One big step for our future.

Please vote YES on Article 33 on May 11.

Tom Birmingham

Chair, Canton Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP) Committee

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