According to the US Energy Information Administration, only one in seven New York homes uses electricity for heating, and three out of every five rely on natural gas.
As the first US state to do so, New York has ban the use of natural gas and most fossil fuels in new buildings. The natural gas ban, which was a provision of the budget bill, was approved by the Democratic-controlled legislature on Tuesday.
Induction stoves are among the more environmentally friendly appliances that officials hope will be promoted. Speculation that a nationwide ban on gas stoves was being considered led to a strong backlash in January after remarks made by a federal US official.
The White House later distanced itself from the remarks made by a representative of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which were later retract.
According to New York law, new structures under seven stories must use electric heating and cooking by 2026, and structures over seven stories must do so by 2029. Manufacturing facilities, eateries, hospitals, and carwashes are a few examples of commercial structures to which the ban does not apply.
Most climate activists have viewed this as a victory. Since gas stoves emit nitrogen oxide pollution, some experts claim that natural gas also has an impact on respiratory health. Republicans in the state criticised the action as being excessive government action that restricts consumer choice.
Many people in the state still find gas to be more affordable than electricity, and the new regulation also covers propane and home heating oil. According to Robert Ortt, the minority leader in the New York Senate, this “will raise utility costs and housing costs.”
According to the US Energy Information Administration, only one in seven New York homes uses electricity for heating, and three out of every five rely on natural gas.
Although New York consumed the sixth-most natural gas in the nation in 2020, a 2019 bill mandates that the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to 85% below 1990 levels before 2050.
While California and Washington have used building codes to promote electricity over gas, New York is the first state to pass legislation. Up to 20 states, including Arizona and Texas, have prevented their local governments from enacting natural gas bans.
The ban in New York might run into legal issues. A gasoline ban in Berkeley, California, was recently overturned by the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. In order to reduce emissions outside of the US, the Dutch government implemented regulations in 2018 that call for all residential buildings to be gas-free by 2050.