Berkeley, California Makes 'Incredible Leap' Away From Fossil Fuels With Natural Gas Ban in New Buildings

Berkeley, California on Tuesday became the first U.S. city to approve a ban on natural gas hook-ups in all new residential buildings, a move that proponents argued is a needed step for all cities in the state if California is to meet its goal of shifting to net-zero carbon emissions from energy sources by 2045.

The ban was passed into law less than a week after the city council unanimously voted in favor of it and following vocal support for the measure from the public.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is running for president in the 2020 Democratic primary, and former California state controller Steve Westly were among the climate action advocates who praised the city’s decision as part of a growing movement of local governments “[leading] the way in the fight to defeat climate change.”

Berkeley city council member Rigel Robinson noted that the lawmakers voted on the ban just a year after the city declared a climate emergency.

“Many cities would be satisfied or content to just declare a climate emergency.” Robinson tweeted. “This is what acting on it looks like.”

The new ordinance is set to go into effect on January 1, 2020, and will apply to all new multi-unit construction. Some exceptions could be made for first-floor retail spaces, but advocates expect the plan to take a major step away from a large portion of the carbon emissions caused by energy sources in the city.

As Emilie Raguso wrote at Berkeleyside:

The city council found that, with the ban in place, electricity used to power heating and cooking systems in homes will be 78 percent carbon free. Currently, natural gas makes up 73 percent of Berkeley’s emissions from buildings.