This article published by the Sierra Club discusses the pro fossil fuel campaigns led by the natural gas industry which has led to a trend of energy preemption bills being drafted and signed into law in state legislatures across the country to discourage electrification and prohibit bans on natural gas. An example of such preemption bills is PA Senate Bill 275.
At least a dozen states have now passed laws prohibiting cities from restricting gas hookups in new construction, and just as many have introduced similar bills this year, which is a major concern as natural gas is a significant contributor of methane emissions, and buildings are often the leading or secondary source of greenhouse gas emissions in a city. Additionally, natural gas stoves are linked to respiratory illness, and exacerbate chronic conditions such as asthma.
The natural gas industry, through trade associations which lobby on behalf of such legislation, are promoting the legislation as "consumer choice" and "energy equality" legislation. Opponents of the legislation argue that bans on natural gas are essential because of the grip that the natural gas industry has in many states, as they receive government subsidies and have tremendous access to decision makers, making it extremely difficult for energy customers to willfully and easily choose cleaner energy on their own.
James Steinbauer, "Gas Industry Fuels a Legislative Campaign to Keep Its Fires Burning", contributed by Morgan Sarao, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 23 August 2022, accessed 19 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/gas-industry-fuels-legislative-campaign-keep-its-fires-burning
Critical Commentary
This article published by the Sierra Club discusses the pro fossil fuel campaigns led by the natural gas industry which has led to a trend of energy preemption bills being drafted and signed into law in state legislatures across the country to discourage electrification and prohibit bans on natural gas. An example of such preemption bills is PA Senate Bill 275.
At least a dozen states have now passed laws prohibiting cities from restricting gas hookups in new construction, and just as many have introduced similar bills this year, which is a major concern as natural gas is a significant contributor of methane emissions, and buildings are often the leading or secondary source of greenhouse gas emissions in a city. Additionally, natural gas stoves are linked to respiratory illness, and exacerbate chronic conditions such as asthma.
The natural gas industry, through trade associations which lobby on behalf of such legislation, are promoting the legislation as "consumer choice" and "energy equality" legislation. Opponents of the legislation argue that bans on natural gas are essential because of the grip that the natural gas industry has in many states, as they receive government subsidies and have tremendous access to decision makers, making it extremely difficult for energy customers to willfully and easily choose cleaner energy on their own.