By rejecting Berkeley, California’s ban on natural gas lines in new buildings, a federal appeals court has thrown into doubt dozens of similar prohibitions. But what does it mean for you?
The ruling won’t stop gas appliances from polluting homes and emitting greenhouse gases. And the sort of ordinance at issue applied only to new construction, not the gas appliances already in homes.
So the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision doesn’t have any bearing on homeowners considering a switch to electric appliances. Nor is it going to stop developers from building natural-gas-free homes, given that there is demand for them — witness the all-electric developments popping up around Southern California.
