BERKELEY, Calif. _ Berkeley, Calif., will ban natural gas piping for stoves or water heaters in new buildings at the start of 2020, becoming the first city in the state to require new construction to be all-electric.
Berkeley city council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the ordinance, which prohibits developers from applying for land entitlements if their projects include gas infrastructure. Councilwoman Kate Harrison, who proposed the ordinance, said Tuesday that natural gas appliances currently account for 27% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions.
"We often talk about climate change as this scary terrible thing, and it is, but at the end of the day when we tackle this challenge we're going to have cleaner, healthier, more efficient, safer, cheaper homes and places of business," Harrison said at the meeting.
Exemptions to the rule include new units built in the basements or attics of houses which utilize whatever fuel is used in the existing home, and in construction that will "serve the public interest" as determined by the city council or the zoning adjustments board.
