Newsom Splits on Legislation to Get Rid of Natural Gas
Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to facilitate the transition of whole neighborhoods from natural gas to electric appliances. The legislation is intended to prevent additional investment in natural gas replacement lines that would be targeted for reduced use as the state decarbonizes its energy system.
SB 1221 authorizes 30 pilot projects to implement “cost-effective decarbonization of priority neighborhoods” if the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) determines that adequate substitute energy is available and if at least 67% of affected customers agree.
As part of this process, the law also requires gas utilities to submit a map of the natural gas distribution system on or before July 1, 2025. CPUC must also identify priority decarbonization neighborhood zones on or before January 1, 2026, taking into consideration the concentration of gas distribution line replacement projects identified in the maps.
Natural Gas Warning Label Vetoed
Newsom vetoed AB 2513, which would require natural gas stoves to have a label that warns about air pollutants that stoves can release. California would have been the first state in the country to require health warning labels on gas stoves and made their labeling similar to that required on tobacco products. CARB has reported that commercial and residential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounted for 10.2% of the state’s total emissions in 2021 and emissions from these sectors “come predominantly from the combustion of fossil gas and other fuels for uses such as space heating, cooking, water heating, and steam generation.”
Newsom wrote in a veto message that he was “concerned that this bill codifies highly prescriptive labeling content that could only be changed by a future statutory amendment. This static approach falls short in enabling timely updates to the labeling content that should align with the latest scientific knowledge so that consumers are accurately informed about their purchases.”