After Berkeley, California, became the nation’s first city to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings in 2019, dozens of local governments followed suit, including New York City in 2021. At the state level, Washington state and California have encouraged new building electrification through building codes, but New York would be the first to do so with a law.
By mid-century, New York aims to reduce planet-warming emissions by 85% compared with 1990 levels. Hochul first voiced support for a gas ban in new construction over a year ago, in January of 2022, but the idea was repeatedly blocked by the Democratic speaker of the state Assembly, Carl Heastie, despite finding support in the state Senate, according to Energywire.
