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Seattle City Council to consider Berkeley, Calif.-style natural gas ban

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Seattle City Council to consider Berkeley, Calif.-style natural gas ban

Seattle will take the first step toward potentially banning natural gas in new buildings as an Emerald City lawmaker and environmental leader prepares to introduce legislation modeled after a Berkeley, Calif., ordinance adopted earlier this year.

City Councilman Mike O'Brien has revealed legislation that would prevent developers from installing gas systems in new buildings in Seattle beginning July 1, 2020. The ordinance would help Seattle achieve ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The push comes just two months after the Berkeley City Council passed a similar ordinance that has become a template for cities across the U.S. O'Brien's office consulted with the ordinance's author, Councilwoman Kate Harrison, but as recently as late July said it was not preparing legislation.

But O'Brien now suggests in his legislation that the urgency of tackling global warming warrants immediate action to electrify buildings. He notes that Seattle is not on track to meet a goal set in 2011 of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He also points to the 2013 Seattle Climate Action Plan, which set targets to cut emissions from residential and commercial buildings by 32% and 45%, respectively, from 2008 levels.

Since then, the city has also adopted resolutions pledging to meet or exceed the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change and take up the measures spelled out in the Green New Deal. That plan, championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., aims to overhaul the U.S. economy and transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. O'Brien said during a Sept. 5 news conference that the gas ban is meant to follow up on the Green New Deal resolution.

"This is a first step — it's a rather small step — but it's a first step in the direction towards becoming a 100% climate pollution-free city by the year 2030, essentially in the next decade," he said.

Seattle ban could go further than Berkeley ordinance

The building sector presents a substantial opportunity to make progress on Seattle's goals. A 2016 study of the city's emissions found that natural gas combustion in residential and commercial structures accounted for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector and 25% of Seattle's overall emissions.

Among utilities, Seattle gas provider Puget Sound Energy Inc. would be most immediately affected by the ordinance. Northwest Natural Gas Co., Cascade Natural Gas Corp. and Avista Corp. also distribute gas in other parts of the state.

Puget Sound Energy called natural gas an "essential part of our energy mix," providing about two-thirds of Seattle's energy on the coldest days of the year.

"Before deciding any new policy, there are several key questions to consider. How the decision would impact reliability, affordability and safety need to be well understood, as well as protecting customer energy choices. We look forward to working with policymakers on a thorough analysis," Puget Sound Energy spokesperson Janet Kim said in an email.

The ordinance would potentially go further than Berkeley's ban, which will take effect in phases and will not initially apply to some commercial building systems. The Seattle ban would apply to both residential and commercial buildings from the outset.

O'Brien's legislation gives Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections' director the authority to issue certain temporary waivers, including for gas-powered commercial cooking appliances, but only when suitable alternatives are unavailable. O'Brien included the carve-out with restaurants in mind after construction experts raised concerns about the impacts on commercial-scale cooking, he told The Seattle Times.

The ban would require residents in new buildings to use electric-powered appliances and systems like induction stoves and heat pumps.

The legislation also seeks to tackle emissions from Seattle's existing housing and commercial building stock. It calls on the Construction and Inspections Department to issue recommendations by July 1, 2020, for changes to city codes to "limit the installation or expansion" of gas systems in existing structures and during substantial renovations.

The City Council's Sustainability and Transportation Committee, which O'Brien chairs, will discuss the draft legislation Sept. 6. O'Brien intends to officially introduce the legislation the following week, with a full council vote scheduled for Sept. 23.

Berkeley gas ban continues to spread

Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo, Calif., recently passed an ordinance to promote building electrification. Dozens of other California municipalities and several cities around Boston also plan to introduce gas bans.

Harrison, the councilwoman who spearheaded Berkeley's ban, said she was "delighted" that Seattle "decided to follow Berkeley's lead in phasing out natural gas and its climate, health and seismic dangers."

Kathleen Sgamma, president of industry group the Western Energy Alliance, said the gas bans arise from "gross misunderstanding" and misinformation campaigns by environmentalists that aim to paint natural gas as harmful.

"Well it's also harmful not to have home heating or electricity," she said in an email. "This councilmember's proposal would deny new homes the benefit of the most efficient and environmentally friendly source of reliable home heating and cooking."