New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed banning fossil fuel infrastructure, including lines that power gas stoves and furnaces, in smaller new residential buildings by 2025 and larger ones by 2028.
Hochul also plans to ban the sale of new oil or gas heating appliances, such as boilers, stoves, dryers, and water heaters, in existing residential buildings by 2030 and in existing commercial buildings by 2035.
In her state of the state speech on Tuesday, the governor said: โWe know that the key to long-term sustainability โ for our wallets and our planet โ is weaning ourselves from fossil fuels.
โWe are taking these actions because climate change remains the greatest threat to our planet, and to our children and grandchildren.โ
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Hochul attempted to convince lawmakers to include a similar idea in the state budget last year, just one month after New York City stopped new gas hookups. But it was defeated reportedly because of Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s opposition.
Most gas hookups for most appliances in newly constructed homes are also banned in other cities, including Seattle and Los Angeles.
In her speech on Tuesday, Hochul also outlined several additional climate change policies, such as monetary aid for low-income households that can be used for home weatherization and the “cap and invest” program, which would set an annual cap on carbon emissions (which would gradually decrease), sell credits for the allowable emissions, and use the proceeds to fund a combination of consumer rebates and subsidies for developing green industries.
Story was adapted from Yahoo News.
