Posted on 09/27/2022 5:25:49 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
In its efforts to minimize ozone pollution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to phase out gas furnaces and water heaters. Beginning in 2030, homes will be required to install zero-emissions alternatives, like electric heaters as the sale of fossil-fuelled appliances will be banned. The move is designed to meet EPA regulations limiting emissions in the atmosphere to 70 parts per billion, but much of the Golden State still exceeds that limit.
Speaking to NPR about the ban on gas furnaces, CARB Chair Liane Randolph said, "We need to take every action we can to deliver on our commitments to protect public health from the adverse impacts of air pollution. With the strategy, we can do just that." She added that while this strategy will clean the air for Californians, it will also lead to reduced emissions in the many low-income and disadvantaged communities that experience greater levels of persistent air pollution.
The vote was met with public comments which included some opposition. Retired Engineer Michael Kapolnek said reduced emissions don’t justify the cost to homeowners forced into expensive upgrades. But groups like the American Lung Association and the Sierra Club supported the ban on gas furnaces. Senior Policy Advocate at Sierra Club California, Daniel Barad said the move will reduce the building sector’s carbon footprint and improve public health.
According to a report from policy research group SPUR, fossil-fuelled appliances like gas furnaces in California homes and buildings generate four times as much lung-damaging nitrogen oxide as the state’s gas-powered plants. "To meet federal air quality standards that protect the health, air quality regulators must phase out the sale of gas appliances and implement equity-centered implementation plans for transitioning homes to electric alternatives," the report says.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
“Beginning in 2030, homes will be required to install zero-emissions alternatives, like electric heaters...”
Electric heaters are not “zero emission”, they just punt their emissions back further up the line.
When I lived in San Francisco we had no option.
First they came for fireplaces and I said nothing because I didn’t have one...
And plastic bags would save the trees.
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