The plan would have raised costs for residents and burdened the grid, say opposing board members. Those in favor point to the ‘consequences of dirty air.’
Southern California air-quality regulators rejected a plan to phase out some natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters in a meeting June 6.
A majority of the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s 12-member board cited high costs for homeowners and lack of electrical infrastructure in the state as reasons they could not support the proposed plan.
If passed, manufacturers would pay fees for each natural gas water heater or furnace they sold above a specified amount in the district’s area of coverage, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County.
“I, like everybody here, supports clean air,” said Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who opposed the regulations at the June 6 meeting. “But we must also pursue environmental progress without punishing the very people we serve today. … I think this mandate hits really hard for disadvantaged and fixed-income residents.”
The proposed regulation changes would have applied to over 10 million residential furnaces and water heaters in the region through natural replacement of the units by homeowners, developers, or landlords in the next 10 years.
The board rejected the proposals in a 7-to-5 vote after a five-hour meeting attended by hundreds of residents who mostly opposed them.
District staff worked on changing two regulations targeting the gas appliances for the past two years, Executive Officer Wayne Nastri said during a presentation.
Staff received about 30,000 comment letters from the public, and 200 people commented during the meeting. They also met with public officials, gave multiple presentations to cities, and held public meetings before presenting the final proposal, he said.
The region fails to meet requirements under the federal Clean Air Act for nitrogen oxide emissions, which could result in U.S. sanctions.
The plan called for reducing the sale of gas-powered appliances and increasing sales of zero-emission electrical units in steps, ultimately reaching 90 percent electrical sales by 2036.
