Following the many Bay Area cities that have voted to ban gas in new buildings, along with recent revelations about how fossil gas harms both the climate and human health, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is considering a new rule that would ban the sale of new gas furnaces and water heaters within about eight years.
At the same time the California Air Resources Board is developing a similar rule, with a deadline of 2030.
The hazards of fossil gas have been getting a lot of publicity lately, after the December 2022 release of a study reporting that almost 13 percent of childhood asthma is attributable to gas stoves. Burning natural gas causes the release of health-harming nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. In addition fossil gas equipment — from the well to where it’s burned — inevitably leaks methane, a greenhouse gas with 80 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it’s released.
The Air District rule would not ban gas stoves, but would ban most new gas water heaters (in new construction and replacements in homes) after 2027, gas furnaces after 2029, and large gas water heaters (in apartments and commercial buildings) after 2031.
While this rule would have great benefits for the climate and health, it’s controversial. Opponents charge it would put a big financial burden on many households that could not afford it. A report prepared for the Air District Board meeting February 15 outlines state and federal funding “available for retrofitting low-income homes with cleaner appliances.”
The board is scheduled to vote on this rule in its March 15 meeting. You can let them know your thoughts on this important topic by emailing your representative on the Air District board.
Click here to find out who your representative is.