New York state relights the gas stove wars

Presented by Renewable Fuels Association: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Mar 16, 2023 View in browser   By Lamar Johnson Presented by Blue flames rise from the burner of a natural gas stove in Orange, Calif., in 2003. | David McNew/Getty Images New York lawmakers are on track to enact a statewide ban on gas heating and appliances in new buildings, a major marker in a partisan fight over fossil fuels and consumer choice. The state Assembly and Senate, controlled by Democrats, included different versions of a natural gas ban in their budget proposals that are expected to be reconciled, writes POLITICO’s E&E News reporter David Iaconangelo. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she supports a ban if it lands on her desk. Albany’s stand cuts through a haze of mud-slinging in Washington that erupted in January after one member of the five-person Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested the agency should consider a ban on gas stoves for public health reasons. (He also acknowledged he doesn’t have the votes.) The resulting conservative firestorm prompted Republicans on Capitol Hill, Fox News host Tucker Carlson and politicians like Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to seize on the issue, accusing Democrats of seeking to outlaw a touchstone of American life — though fans of induction ranges might not mind. The Energy Department later proposed its first-ever efficiency regulations for cooktops and ovens, including gas stoves — again, far short of an all-out ban. But now, New York is looking to ban them for real. It would be the first state to enact a full natural gas ban for new building developments — effectively requiring them to use electric heating and stoves. Why this is happening: Northeastern states are wrestling with ways to drive down heat-trapping carbon emissions, including debating how far to go to switch away from fossil fuels. At the same time, questions exist about how requiring all-electric buildings might affect consumers’ energy bills, particularly for low-income residents. Public health advocates point to the risks of breathing gas indoors. Methane emitted while burning gas is also one of the most potent contributors to global warming. Since 2018, gas bans have been mostly successful in cities and counties. New York City, along with Seattle; Berkeley, Calif.; Eugene, Ore.; and Montgomery County, Md., have all passed legislation limiting fossil fuel use in new buildings. Washington state got closest to electrification requirements in 2022, but that included a carve-out for natural gas as a backup. On the other hand, 20 states have prohibited municipalities from imposing fossil fuel restrictions on builders. On Wednesday, Bay Area regulators in California agreed to phase out sales of gas boilers and water heaters in existing buildings. Amy Turner, senior fellow at Columbia University's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, says if New York’s the first domino to fall, expect other states to follow suit. “If New York state is able to pass a building electrification requirement at this scale,” she said, “it will show other states around the country that this is not so scary, that it’s politically possible, it’s technically possible.”   It’s Thursday — Thank you for tuning into POLITICO’s Power Switch. I’m your host, Lamar Johnson. Arianna will be back soon! Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments and questions to ljohnson@eenews.net.   A message from Renewable Fuels Association: Adding ethanol to our fuel supply saved American drivers 77 cents per gallon of gasoline purchased between 2019 to 2022, according to economists at the University of California, Berkeley and other leading universities. That’s over $750 per household each year, representing total savings to U.S. consumers of $95 billion annually. To ensure consumers continue to enjoy these savings, President Biden should take action now to allow year-round sales of E15. Learn more here.   Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast! Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: The energy team's Alex Guillén takes listeners through a new EPA pollution plan expected to further shrink coal power generation and the pushback it's facing. Featured story Texas State Board of Education member Patricia Hardy, pictured in 2009, introduced rule changes last month to weaken climate lessons in textbooks. | AP Photo/Harry Cabluck Culture wars get a new battlefield — The Texas State Board of Education changed its guidance to schools for how to teach climate science — urging schools to put an emphasis on the "positive" aspects of fossil fuels, Scott Waldman writes. Critics say the guidelines will also pressure schools to frame the planet's warming climate as a result of natural temperature fluctuations, not human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Scientists are concerned the guidance could give school officials pause when making textbook purchases, and that Texas' size will affect publishers' decisions nationwide.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     Power Centers Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol on March 16. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Power struggles in Brussels The EU was driving fast toward signing a measure that would take gas-combusting cars off its road. Then Germany came in and scuttled the package last week, our European colleague Matthew Karnitschnig writes. The episode has left the bloc's environmental policies up in the air and sparked questions about the balance of power inside the EU. More from across the pond Looking to shore up the EU's place in the green energy transition, the bloc unveiled a legislative package today with clean energy incentives designed as its response to the United States' Inflation Reduction Act, Antonia Zimmermann and Federica Di Sario write. Like the Inflation Reduction Act, the European package aims to bring supply chains back to the continent and reduce reliance on China for green technology components. The package uses objectives like domestic production targets, rather than mandates. In Other News   A message from Renewable Fuels Association:   Legal resolution on the horizon? Residents of a Texas community will learn soon if their continued exposure to pollution and Clean Air Act violations from an Exxon Mobil plant gives them standing to claim injury in their ongoing lawsuit. Music in the defrost: Scientists are recording the sounds of ice as it unfreezes, giving climate change a soundtrack. Researchers and musicians are also using the sounds to find ways to potentially slow the thaw. More evacuations on the way: Already dealing with one major landslide and more rain on the way, officials in California caution that the next storm will force even more residents from their homes.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Members of a Cal Fire crew on March 8 clear snow off the roof of the town's post office after a series of storms in Crestline, Calif. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo An estimated 146 million Americans face flood risks this spring, as record precipitation in the West this winter is expected to be joined by rains in the coming months and potentially overflow rivers and reservoirs, according to NOAA. EPA expects to finish reviewing Louisiana's request for regulatory oversight of state carbon dioxide storage in May. The process has been fraught with delays, but Louisiana would be just the third state with such oversight should it succeed. The energy permitting battle has two new challengers looking to craft a bipartisan overhaul bill. Enter Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.). That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from Renewable Fuels Association: Adding low-carbon ethanol to our nation’s fuel supply saved American drivers an average of 77 cents on each gallon of gasoline purchased between 2019 to 2022, according to a new study by economists at the University of California, Berkeley and other leading universities. That represents a total savings to U.S. consumers of more than $95 billion per year, or over $750 annually per household! As Putin’s war in Ukraine continues to wreak havoc on global energy markets, and as abnormally high inflation rates continue to challenge family budgets, the Biden administration and Congress should support the Renewable Fuel Standard and act immediately to allow year-round sales nationwide of lower-cost, lower-carbon ethanol blends like E15. Ethanol is a proven solution for reducing prices at the pump, cleaning the air, and enhancing our energy security. Learn more here.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.