(p. A13) This week, New York City moved to ban gas hookups in new buildings, joining cities in blue states like California, Massachusetts and Washington that want to shift homes away from burning natural gas because it releases carbon dioxide, which causes global warming.
Instead, developers in New York City will have to install electric heat pumps and electric kitchen ranges in newly constructed buildings.
. . .
But the gas industry is fighting back and has lobbied in statehouses across the country to slow the shift away from gas. It argues that gas appliances are widely popular and still cost less than electric versions for many consumers. Opponents have also warned that a rush to electrify homes could strain power grids, particularly in the winter when heating needs soar, at a time when states like California and Texas are already struggling to meet demand.
Karen Harbert, president and chief executive of the American Gas Association, an industry group, said efforts to disconnect homes and businesses from the extensive network of gas pipelines would make it difficult to supply those buildings with low-carbon alternatives that might be available in the future, such as hydrogen or biogas.
“Eliminating natural gas and our delivery infrastructure forecloses on current and future innovation opportunities,” she said.
The question of whether to use natural gas in homes has become part of the culture wars, pitting climate activists against industry and other interest groups. Some chefs and restaurant owners have argued that they won’t be able to cook certain dishes as well without gas.
. . .
In a statement, Bill Malcolm, a senior legislative representative at the AARP, said the group had “supported legislative and regulatory initiatives allowing customers to continue to use the fuel of their choice to heat their homes and cook their food.” He added: “Outright bans on certain fuel options would run contrary to that choice.”
. . .
For now, natural gas remains the dominant fuel in much of the country, heating nearly half of American homes. Electric heat pumps, by contrast, satisfy just 5 percent of heating demand nationwide.
. . .
Experts have warned that as more homeowners go electric, gas utilities will still have to pay to maintain their existing network of pipelines, which could mean higher costs for the smaller base of remaining customers, many of whom may be low-income.
For the full story, see:
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the story has the date Dec. 10, 2021, and has the title “How Politics Are Determining What Stove You Use.” The online version says that the New York print edition had the title “Gas vs. Electric Stoves on a Partisan Battlefield.” My National print edition had the title “Gas vs. Electric Stoves Join Partisan Battlefield.” Where there is a slight difference in wording between the versions, the passages quoted above follow the online version.)
Dear Mr .Diamond,
Some economists are predicting that we are heading toward a severe and long-lasting recession (because of all the borrowing and money printing we are doing.)
Some say the way out of such a recession will be to increase productivity. Some of this can be done now:
Some of the borrowing and/or money printing can be used to increase productivity with scientific discoveries and new technology. And whether or not we can do so with the current borrowing and/or printing, we can increase the borrowing and/or printing to do more.
Perhaps you can urge your followers to write to the President, Congress, and their local newspapers.
Regards,
Alex
Hello, I live in the local mtns in Southern Ca. Recently we suffered an 8 day electrical outage with below freezing temps. If we did not have gas in our homes…we would have all died due to the fact that our highways up the mountain were closed due to washed out roads. So…there are extenuating circumstances where natural gas has helped to save thousands of lives.