In a nation that is already deeply divided along partisan lines over the response to the swine flu, add gas stove and furnace.
New York City became the latest city to ban gas hookups in new buildings because it releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, which causes global warming.
In New York City, developers will have to install electric heat pumps and electric kitchen ranges in new buildings.
At least 20 mostly red states have passed laws forbidding their cities from restricting gas use, because of the push toelectrify homes. The natural gas industry and local gas utilities have supported most of these bills, which they see as a threat to their bottom line.
13 percent of America's annual greenhouse gas emissions come from homes and buildings, mostly from natural gas burned in furnace, hot water, stove, ovens and clothes dryers. If the nation wants to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by the year 2050, experts say it's crucial to Curb pollution.
People are aware of the potential of renewable energy. We have reduced emissions in the power sector. Dylan Sullivan is a senior scientist for the climate and clean energy program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. He said that gas use in buildings is the new issue and will be a big focus over the next decade.
The best way to clean up buildings is to convert them to run on electricity. Electric heat pumps act like air-conditioners that can run in two directions, providing heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, and that's why they're called gas furnaces. Emissions from these appliances should decline even more as states add wind and solar power.
At least 50 California cities, including San Francisco, have adopted bans on most gas hookups in new buildings.
The gas industry is trying to slow the shift away from gas. Gas appliances are cheaper than electric ones for many consumers. Opponents warned that a rush toelectrify homes could strain power grids, particularly in the winter when heating needs soar, at a time when states like California and Texas are already struggling to meet demand.
Karen Harbert, president and chief executive of the American Gas Association, said that it would be difficult to supply buildings with low-carbon alternatives like hydrogen or biogas if the homes and businesses were disconnected from the gas network.
Eliminating natural gas and our delivery infrastructure makes it harder to innovate.
The question of whether to use natural gas in homes has become part of the culture wars, pitting climate activists against industry and other interest groups. Chefs and restaurant owners have argued that they won't be able to cook certain dishes if they don't have gas. Environmentalists argue that gas stoves are not a source of air pollution.
The push to phase out natural gas in buildings began in California.
Berkeley became the first city to ban gas hookups in new homes and buildings due to climate change. At least 50 California cities, including San Francisco and Sacramento, have adopted similar rules since then, often over the objections of local gas utilities.
The movement spread quickly. Seattle and Eugene, Ore., have put forward measures to ban gas hookups in new buildings. The Denver city council voted last month to require large buildings to switch to electric heating and cooling. On Wednesday, New York City became the largest city in the world to ban gas in new buildings, requiring those up to seven stories tall to go all-electric by the year 2027. Existing buildings wouldn't be affected by the bill.
The gas industry has mounted a counteroffensive.
In March 2020, Sue Forrester, a lobbyist for the American Gas Association warned a meeting of utility executives that the campaign against natural gas was growing quickly and that the industry needed to change the narrative and say that we are part of America's clean energy future.
Ms. Forrester warned that industry talking about industry isn't effective. She outlined a plan to work with community groups to build support for state legislation that would prevent cities from limiting gas prices. She said that the idea behind choice was to get ahead of the localities, the big cities and counties and allow customers the right to have any kind of energy they want.
A drilling rig is in Oklahoma. Several states banned gas bans last year.
Laws were passed in the spring of that year that prevented cities from banning natural gas. The gas industry in Oklahoma received support from many groups, including restaurants, hotels, homebuilders and barbecue equipment makers.
Mary Boren, a Democratic state senator in Oklahoma who voted against the bill, said that the message was: "You don't want these California liberals telling you that you can't have a gas stove."
Bill Malcolm, a senior legislative representative at the AARP, said in a statement that the group had supported legislative and regulatory initiatives allowing customers to continue to use the fuel of their choice to heat their homes and cook their food. He said that banning certain fuel options would be contrary to choice.
Jake Rubin, spokesman for the American Gas Association, said the group had studied the implications of electrification and public perception of policies that would force American families to replace their natural gas appliances with more expensive, less efficient alternatives. The association shared this research with groups that rely on the affordability and reliability of natural gas and encouraged them to make their voices heard about the damaging impacts of these policies.
In addition to Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, Republican-controlled legislatures in 16 other states have passed measures to prevent cities from banning gas. In North Carolina, a similar bill was vetoed by the governor.
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In states that aren't considering gas bans, the pushback has been fierce.
In Nevada, a Democratic state legislator proposed a bill to apply more scrutiny to new natural gas infrastructure. Southwest Gas, the state's largest gas utility, enlisted a wide range of allies to defeat the legislation. The president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce warned that the bill could force Abuela andabuela to make a choice between medicine and groceries or heating their home in the winter.
Ms. Cohen said she was getting calls from people who thought they would lose their gas stove in 2023. The bill did not do that.
Natural gas is the main fuel in most of the country, heating nearly half of American homes. Electric heat pumps only satisfy 5 percent of heating demand.
There are solar panels on homes in a neighborhood under construction.
For new construction, the cost of electrification is dropping. An analysis done last year by the Rocky Mountain Institute found that it is now cheaper to build an all-electric single family home in major cities like Austin, Boston, New York and Seattle than it is to build a home fueled by gas.
The director of sustainable design at National Community Renaissance is building a new affordable housing project in San Bernardino, Calif., that will use only electric appliances and solar panels on the roofs to save money, even though the city has not banned gas. He said cost was the most important consideration.
Mr. Kohut said that the guys he works with on the construction team are pragmatic general contractors. They are not interested in doing this because of climate change.
Building a new all-electric home from the ground up is something else. It will be more difficult to retrofit the millions of existing homes and apartment buildings that already depend on gas since doing so often requires additional renovations, such as new ductwork or wiring. Finding contractors who know how to install heat pumps can be a challenge, as 17 states now offer incentives for consumers to do so.
Sue McFaddin, who consulted on a recent all-electric housing development near Fort Collins, Colo., said that a market shift away from natural gas is likely to proceed slowly unless states put in place additional policies and building codes. She said that if they just go by the market, they won't meet their climate goals.
Democrats in Congress are debating a massive climate and social policy bill that would include several key provisions to cut emissions from buildings, including $6.25 billion to provide rebates to homeowners who replace fossil-fuel appliances with electric versions.
As more homeowners go electric, gas utilities will have to pay to maintain their existing network of pipes, which could mean higher costs for the smaller base of remaining customers, many of whom may be low-income.
Ms. Cohen was hoping to address that death spiral with her legislation in March. Nevada regulators opened an investigation into the future of natural gas in the state after her bill died, studying how to ensure a smooth transition for gas customers as the state pushed to slash emissions.
Ms. Cohen said that there are going to be changes in the market.
