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San Francisco Bans Gas-Powered Furnaces and Water Heaters
In an effort to reduce air pollution, regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area decided to ban the sale and installation of natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters over an eight-year period starting in 2027.
The vote was the most recent action taken by left-leaning governments to combat natural gas, a practical and largely clean-burning fuel.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area regulators voted on Wednesday to adopt regulations that will gradually phase out the sale and installation of natural gas furnaces and water heaters over the course of the next eight years. This is one of the most comprehensive plans in the nation to switch from gas to electric appliances.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District approved the guidelines with the intention of reducing air pollution from some of the worst home appliance offenders. The main pollutants being addressed are nitrogen oxides, or NOx, which can contribute to smog, acid rain, and respiratory disorders like asthma.
Homeowners can fix their gas appliances if they break, but the regulations take effect when old gas furnaces or water heaters need to be replaced since they are no longer functional. Zero-NOx furnaces and water heaters, which are effectively electric, will also be needed for new buildings.
The new regulation, which does not apply to gas stoves, comes in response to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' decision to prohibit the installation of natural gas connections in new structures in 2020. Also, the uproar over the Biden administration's suggestion to explore outlawing the sale of new gas stoves was only a few weeks ago.
Democrats reject natural gas because it is still a fossil fuel and is frequently mined by fracking, despite the fact that its adoption has allowed the U.S. to emit fewer carbon dioxide emissions while boosting its economy.
In other parts of Los Angeles, the “Green New Deal” put out by the city's former mayor, now confirmed as the country's ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, calls for the gradual phase-out of natural gas power plants despite potential electricity shortages.
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