New York successfully passed a law late to ban natural gas stoves and appliances in all new buildings. It is the first state in the nation to pass such legislation.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers passed the state’s new $229 billion budget, which included a provision for ending natural gas and other fossil fuel-powered hookups in new buildings.
The legislation includes a ban on gas stoves, gas furnaces, and propane heating in all residential buildings seven stories and shorter by 2026.
Buildings taller than seven stories will be allowed to install gas-powered appliances until 2029.
Large industrial buildings are exempt from the ban.
Late last week, The Washington Post reported that Governor Hochul and lawmakers reached a handshake deal on the new law.
Some cities have already passed bans on gas stove hookups, including Berkley, California, which passed a ban in 2019.
Last month, however, an appeals court ruled against the city of Berkley, California, over its scheme to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings.
In the ruling, the court sided against Berkely, saying that its 2019 ban on natural gas hookups effectively banned all appliances operating with natural gas, which it was not allowed to do because of federal legislation that pre-empts such local legislation.
New York City passed its own version of a gas hookup ban for new builds in 2021.
Hochul said that the new budget would put “New York on trajectory to a cleaner, healthier future.”
But the American Gas Association president and CEO Karen Harbert said that “Any push to ban natural gas would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress and deny affordable energy to underserved populations,” according to CNN.
Source:Oilprice.com
