The first-in-the-nation natural gas ban in Berkeley, CA, is no more after city officials agreed to halt enforcement.

The agreement with the California Restaurant Association (CRA), to halt enforcement of the city’s ban on new natural gas pipelines, was anticipated following a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 

The appeals court in January had denied a petition for rehearing after ruling last year that the city’s ban was preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act. 

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The American Gas Association (AGA) had filed an amicus brief in support of the CRA’s original lawsuit.

“This settlement has...