The new prohibition: Anti-natural gas frenzy spreading across the U.S.

 

The Biden administration, facing public backlash, has dropped plans to consider banning gas stoves, but that hasn’t slowed down Democratic-leaning states, cities and towns that are moving to force residents and businesses to switch to all-electric appliances.

A mandate to go all-electric is a bold gambit in the war to eliminate fossil fuels because it would increase demand on a power grid that relies heavily on fossil fuels.

Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, was among the latest jurisdictions to ban natural gas for heat and appliances in new residential and commercial buildings. The County Council voted in December to require new construction to use only electric energy by the end of 2026. The D.C. Council voted to impose a similar ban on natural gas earlier last year...more

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced this month one of the most aggressive statewide proposals of its kind: the elimination of natural gas hookups in new construction starting in 2025. The plan, which she said is necessary to fight climate change, would end the sale of all fossil-fuel-powered heating equipment across the state by 2030.

Dozens of jurisdictions in California, including Berkley, San Francisco and San Jose, have banned natural gas appliances and heating. In Los Angeles, the Department of Building and Safety recommended in October that the city require new construction to use only electric energy.

The American Gas Association said roughly 85 localities across the country have adopted some prohibition on the use of natural gas...more