by Charlotte Hazard
New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a state budget deal earlier this week that included the first statewide ban on natural gas usage in new buildings.
California and New York are pressing ahead with their crackdown on the fuel industry with bans on big diesel rigs and natural gas appliances such as gas stoves.
On Friday, California regulators voted to ban the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and require all trucks to be zero-emissions by 2042. Supporters of the ruling argue that public health will be improved in impoverished communities as a result, while also being more environmentally friendly.
The California Air Resources Board also unanimously approved the Advanced Clean Fleets rule. This is California's second zero-emissions trucks rule which requires trucks, including delivery and garbage, to be electric.
New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a state budget deal earlier this week that included the first statewide ban on natural gas usage in new buildings.
Hochul described the deal as a "conceptual agreement" before a final vote was held, according to the New York Times. This ban would not apply to buildings that already have natural gas appliances, such as stoves.
State lawmakers are expected to vote on the deal next week.
A spokesperson for Hochul's office, Katy Zielinski, told the New York Times that the deal does allow exemptions for facilities that require fossil fuels for emergency backup power, such as hospitals and laboratories.
Zielinski added that Hochul's office was still "figuring out" how the measure will be applied to new construction in certain areas.
"We are looking at reliability issues still, meaning if there is a proposal to build a new building after 2025 but there is a lack of electric capacity in that region, how will we handle that?" she said to the newspaper. "We don't want to build new buildings if the local grid does not have the energy to be able to power them."
Charlotte Hazard
Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/california-takes-steps-crack-down-even-harder-fuel-industry-and-new-york
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