natural gas ban

Natural gas utilities in Massachusetts will be required to first evaluate clean energy projects before expanding their systems after state regulators issued limits on local distribution companies (LDC). Former state Attorney General Maura Healey in 2020 called on the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to investigate potential pathways to phase out natural gas use…

Washington state officials have removed a mandate that would have banned natural gas heat pumps in new residential construction, but rules restricting the fuel’s use for other appliances are slated to go into effect next year. After delaying rules that would have required electric heat pumps to be used in new residential and commercial buildings…

Washington state officials, citing concerns related to a recent federal appeals court ruling, have delayed rules that were to begin July 1 that would have required electric heat pumps to be used in new residential and commercial construction, basically banning natural gas hookups. In a special meeting held earlier in May, the Washington State Building…

Trustees for New York City’s two largest pension funds have approved a plan to divest from some upstream natural gas, oil and coal companies by 2025.  Led by Comptroller Brad Lander, trustees are ready to implement plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 in the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) and the Teachers’…

U.S. natural gas production and LNG exports are likely to grow between now and 2050 with domestic gas consumption dropping only slightly, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). All of the scenarios modeled in EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) released last Thursday show the United States remaining a net exporter of natural gas…

Eugene, OR, will become the first city in the state to ban natural gas infrastructure in new low-rise residential construction. The ordinance will require developers to use electric appliances and power in new buildings that are three stories or less. However, this will not affect existing buildings.  Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has set a goal…

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has proposed banning natural gas hookups in new building constructions statewide starting in 2025. During her ‘State of the State’ address on Tuesday (Jan. 10), she called for no on-site fossil fuel combustion by 2025 for smaller buildings, and by 2028 for larger buildings. This would be a more…

Residents with new homes in 2023 in Marin County, CA will do their cooking with electric appliances after the Board of Supervisors in November voted to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings.  The county, a peninsula sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, is expected to adopt Ordinance No. 3776 in January.…

Joining other major municipalities across the country, the Washington, DC, City Council has unanimously voted to ban the use of fossil fuels, including natural gas, in new construction by the end of 2026.  Bill 24-420 (B24-420), aka the Clean Energy DC Building Code Amendment Act of 2022, would require the mayor, currently Muriel Bowser, to…