Southern California refuses proposal to gradually reduce the production of new gas furnaces and water heaters
In a surprising turn of events, the air-quality regulators for Southern California have rejected a plan aimed at gradually phasing down pollution from new gas-burning space and water heaters in homes. The decision, made in a 7-5 vote, is a setback to efforts to clean up harmful, planet-warming emissions from buildings, not just in Southern California, but possibly beyond.
The rejected plan, updates to rules 1111 and 1121, was poised to be the South Coast Air Quality Management District's (SCAQMD) strongest in three decades. It was designed to reduce smog-forming emissions in the region, which has some of the nation's dirtiest air. The rejected rules were a chance to improve health, reduce medical expenses, and bring the region into compliance with the Clean Air Act.
The rules were developed over more than two years and faced intense industry-led opposition. The search results do not provide information about the name of the person who opposed the withdrawn rules for reducing respiratory pollutants from heating systems and hot water in residential buildings in Southern California, nor about opposition to the Trump administration on this matter. However, an investigation by Floodlight and The Guardian last week revealed that SoCalGas and allied groups have been disseminating misleading information about the rejected rules since December.
At the end of the six-hour meeting on Friday, the board sent the rejected rules back to a committee and will not be revisited this year, according to the agency. Christopher Chavez, deputy policy director at the California nonprofit Coalition for Clean Air, stated that any further rejiggering of the rules is likely to be weaker than what was initially proposed.
Holly J. Mitchell, an LA County supervisor and SCAQMD board member, supported the measures, stating they would have saved lives and significantly reduced air pollution. On Thursday, the Trump administration threatened to sue if the measures were adopted. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is home to more than 17 million residents across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
The rejected rules, if implemented, would have significantly reduced air pollution from home appliances sold in the region. It was not a mandate to switch to electric equipment or a ban on gas-burning appliances. The decision to reject the rules is a setback to efforts to combat air pollution and climate change in Southern California.
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