Whether Pennsylvania passes a statewide ban on municipal natural gas bans, it won\u2019t much affect Philly Office Retail. The adaptive reuse-focused real estate developer has already been opting for electricity over gas whenever possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe natural inclination is to try to be more sustainable. If it\u2019s something that can be done without hitting the pocketbook, then it makes sense to do it. It could be a win-win,\u201d said Ken Weinstein, president of Philly Office Retail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bans on natural gas hookups in new buildings are spreading across the country. In 2019, Berkeley, California, was the first city to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings<\/a>. So far, 77 cities in 10 states have taken some form of local government action, with most of those cities in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the same time, however, 20 states have passed statewide bans on natural gas bans, preventing local governments from enacting similar restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAny point of change in how we do things creates a little bit of upheaval in the system,\u201d said Kim Cheslak, director of codes at the New Buildings Institute, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit focused on improving the energy performance of commercial buildings.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what multifamily developers and owners operating in markets that might be affected by such legislation need to know.<\/p>\n Just like electric cars, electrifying buildings is being presented as a pathway to minimizing pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and homes, primarily from burning fuel for heat, made up 13% of the U.S.\u2019s greenhouse emissions in 2020, according to the EPA<\/a>. <\/p>\n In addition, homes and apartments with gas stoves can have a 50% to 400% higher concentration of nitrogen dioxide \u2014 which can affect respiratory health, especially for those with asthma \u2014 than homes with electric stoves, per a study from RMI<\/a>, a Colorado-based sustainability nonprofit.\u00a0<\/p>\n In December 2021, New York City became the largest U.S. city to enact such a law; it will go into effect for new construction under seven stories in 2024 and in mid-2027 for taller structures.<\/p>\n \u201cTo my mind, this new law would be the beginning of the end of the fossil-fuel industry in America\u2019s biggest city and a world capital,\u201d Pete Sikora, the climate director of New York Communities for Change, told The New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n New York could be the first to pass a ban on natural gas hookups in new construction at a statewide level. It would mandate all-electric new buildings after 2023 (except where deemed not feasible due to the availability of equipment and labor), though legislation is stalled.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis shouldn\u2019t be a partisan issue,\u201d said Rachel Golden, a principal on the carbon-free buildings team at RMI. \u201c[Ronald] Reagan was pushing all-electric homes. It\u2019s more about the evolution of construction and building practices and the direction they are going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But for now, the debate continues. Most movement toward banning natural gas hookups has been taking place in blue or blue-leaning states, while pre-emptive bans on natural gas bans have been adopted in red-leaning states. Similar bans on bans are currently being considered in battleground states Michigan and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n AlabamaStates that prohibit municipalities from banning natural gas:<\/h4>\n
\nArizona
\nArkansas
\nFlorida<\/p>\n