Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Berkeley to Repeal First U.S. Natural Gas Ban

From Just the News:
Berkeley, which introduced the nation’s first natural gas ban, is now agreeing to repeal the law after legal defeat at the hands of the California Restaurant Association.

The CRA and the City of Berkeley reached a settlement in the case relating to the city’s 2019 ordinance banning the installation of new gas lines in buildings with Berkeley agreeing to halt enforcement of the ban and the City Council taking steps to repeal the ordinance.

“Climate change must be addressed, but piecemeal policies at the local level like bans on natural gas piping in new buildings or all-electric ordinances, which are preempted by federal energy laws, are not the answer,” said CRA president and CEO Jot Condie in a statement. “The ban was passed with a disregard for available cooking technologies and ultimately for small businesses in the community that rely on gas-burning equipment for their cuisines.”
Reality intervenes.

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