Useful information
Prime News delivers timely, accurate news and insights on global events, politics, business, and technology
This story originally It appeared in Grinding And it is part of the Climate desk collaboration.
The cities that seek to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings have obtained a decisive victory in the court. Last week, a federal judge He dismissed a lawsuit Brought by the commercial groups of plumbing and buildings against a ban on New York City on natural gas in new buildings. The decision is the first to explicitly disagree with a previous decision that collapsed Berkeley, the first gas ban in California. That order, issued by the 9th Court of Appeals of the United States Circuit in 2023 and confirmed again last yearHe led to cities from all over the country to withdraw or delay the laws modeled after the Berkeley Ordinance.
Although New York City Law works differently from Berkeley’s, legal experts say that this month’s decision provides a solid legal basis for all types of local policies to eliminate gas in buildings, and could encourage cities to take ambitious measures once again.
“It is a clear victory in that regard, because the decision of the ninth circuit has had a really chilling effect on local governments,” said Amy Turner, director of the Climate Law initiative of cities in the Law of the Climate Change Center of the University of Columbia. “Now there is something else to point out, and a good reason for the hope of local governments that may have burned their construction electrification plans to put them at the forefront.”
In 2021, New York City adopted Local Law 154which establishes an air emissions limit for the combustion of indoor fuels within new buildings. According to the law, the burning of “any substance issued by 25 kilograms or more carbon dioxide per million British energy units” is prohibited. That standard effectively prohibits stoves, ovens and water heaters, and any other fossil fuel appliance. Instead, real estate developers have to install appliances, such as induction stoves and heat pumps. Politics entered into force In 2024 For buildings of less than seven stories, and will apply to higher buildings from 2027.
Berkeley’s law, on the other hand, prohibited the installation of gas pipes in new constructions. The first policy of its kind was approved in 2019 and inspired almost one hundred local governments throughout the country to introduce similar laws. But the ordinance quickly faced a demand from the California restaurant association, which argued that gas stoves were essential for the food service industry. In April 2023, the Court of the 9th Circuit ruled in favor of the restaurant industry, arguing that federal energy efficiency standards avoided Berkeley’s policy. In January 2024, a petition For the city of Berkeley to rehearse the case in the 9th circuit He was denied.
