OAKLAND — Oakland joined dozens of California cities Tuesday in passing an ordinance to ban gas stoves and heaters in new buildings yet to be constructed throughout the city.
The City Council unanimously decided to prohibit newly constructed buildings — both residential and commercial — from connecting to natural gas or propane.
The ordinance, introduced by council members Dan Kalb and Nikki Fortunato Bas and Mayor Libby Schaaf, does not apply to existing buildings and any associated renovations or additions. Neither does it affect attached accessory dwelling units.
Although the law requires new buildings to be equipped with all-electric power sources, it does allow developers to apply for waivers if they believe that isn’t feasible.
“Oakland cannot meet its climate goals without shifting quickly away from natural gas use, and my legislation will put Oakland at the forefront of efforts statewide,” Kalb, who was the lead author of the ordinance, said in a written statement. “State energy policies and lower prices of renewables mean that substituting natural gas with electricity is one of the quickest, safest and least expensive pathways to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.”
Kalb added that “reducing the reliance on gas systems will reduce the risk of fires, simplify building systems and maintenance, and improve indoor air quality.”
The ordinance, which Kalb said has been in the works for more than a year, will help the city on its path to meet the goals of its recently approved Equitable Climate Action Plan, which aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade.
Proponents of the ordinance say it’s also about equity: The pollutants created by natural gas are compounded in small, badly ventilated spaces, such as old apartments. A city staff report cited research noting that children living in homes with gas cooking are 42% more likely to have asthma than those without.
While gas rates are now lower than electricity rates, they are increasing at a faster clip overall, the city report notes, adding that as more buildings become electrified, gas infrastructure costs — and thus the rates for consumers — will continue to rise.
“Oakland’s national leadership to build cleaner, safer, and healthier cities for all families continues with this historic transition to all-electric buildings,” Schaaf said in a news release about the legislation.
The move follows that of other California cities.
Also on Tuesday, San Jose approved a natural gas ban in new commercial and high-rise residential buildings, expanding an existing ordinance barring natural gas in new houses, detached accessory-dwelling units and low-rise multifamily buildings up to three stories.
San Francisco recently approved a natural gas ban for all new construction, and Berkeley became the first city in the country to prohibit natural gas when it passed its own ordinance in the summer of 2019.
At the time, the Berkeley ordinance got major pushback from restaurants; the California Restaurant Association sued the city in an effort to stop the ban, noting in the complaint that “restaurants rely on natural gas for such things as food preparation and heating space and water, and even providing backup power during electrical outages. Many of these restaurants rely on gas for cooking particular types of food, whether it be flame-seared meats, charred vegetables or the use of intense heat from a flame under a wok.”
The lawsuit is ongoing. Environmental groups have urged the restaurant association to stand down, and proponents of banning natural gas point to the surge of chefs who have turned to induction cooking over either gas or electric ranges.
Oakland’s ordinance will be effective immediately upon its second reading in mid-December.
Staff writer Maggie Angst contributed to this report.
