New York State will ban natural gas from all new buildings constructed after 2025. The ban will take place under a $229 billion budget plan announced by Governor Kathy Hochul. The budget was held up for nearly a month after lengthy negotiations. Hochul says the purpose of the ban on natural gas is to impact climate change. New York City’s MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) has a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 85% by 2040. This same goal may impact the entire state beyond the Big Apple.
Similar bans on natural gas and/or gas appliances have started to materialize in other parts of the country, especially California. The key difference between New York and California is that the left coast is attempting to make the ban more about health concerns related to things like gas stoves while New York is simply talking about climate change and carbon emission.
Kathy Hochul says that people with existing gas lines and gas appliances will be allowed to keep them. She also says that the goal of the ban is to phase out gas and head more toward a future of renewable energy.
It is not quite clear what impact the removal of gas from new buildings will have on the electric grid. The restaurant industry, 90% of which uses gas-powered stoves, will obviously be impacted by the ban on natural gas. There does not appear to be a plan in place to help gas-reliant industries make the necessary transition.
SOURCES:
Gas Stoves To Be Banned in New NY Buildings – The New York Times
New York’s MTA Looks to Cut Carbon Emissions Footprint 85% by 2040 – Bloomberg
New York State bans gas stoves, furnaces in many new buildings | CBC News
New York becomes the first state to ban natural gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings | CNN
No more gas stoves? New York bans natural gas in new buildings. – CSMonitor.com
Restaurant industry pushes back amid N.Y. move to ban gas stoves in new buildings – YouTube
