New York becomes first state in US to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in new buildings

New York has become the first state in the United States to pass a law banning the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings, a significant victory for climate activists, although it may face opposition from the fossil fuel industry. On Tuesday night, Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers who control the New York Senate and Assembly passed the new state budget containing the bill in response to increasing pressure from environmentalists and climate-conscious voters.

CNN reported that the new $229 billion state budget effectively promotes environmentally friendly technologies like heat pumps and induction stoves in new housing developments across the state by prohibiting gas-powered stoves, furnaces, and propane heating.

By 2026, all new buildings under seven floors must have all-electric heating and cooking, while higher buildings must do so by 2029.

Some large commercial and industrial buildings are exempt from the state budget’s gas ban, including supermarkets, hospitals, Laundromats, and restaurants. However, the impact on new residential structures could be significant, as buildings account for 32% of New York State’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2022 report. Although New York is the first state to pass such a law, other cities have taken the lead.

Berkeley was the first US city to pass a law prohibiting natural gas hookups in newly constructed buildings in 2019.

According to a statement from Hochul’s spokesperson Katy Zielinski, the new budget “will protect our families and our residents, while putting New York on trajectory to a cleaner, healthier future.”

However, the natural gas industry opposed the state’s new law, claiming it restricted consumer options. Karen Harbert, president, and CEO of the American Gas Association, stated in a press release that “any push to ban natural gas would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress and deny affordable energy to underserved populations.”

In addition to banning natural gas, New York’s budget deal includes other climate change initiatives, such as creating publicly owned renewable energy projects that would generate green jobs and implementing a cap-and-invest programme that would require companies with a higher carbon footprint to buy permits to pollute.

The funds raised by the cap-and-invest initiative would support programmes that lessen the effects of pollution responsible for global warming.