2023-04-17 23:17:10 ET
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Monday that Berkeley, California, cannot ban natural gas hookups in new buildings , siding with a challenge made by the state's restaurant industry.
The court said the city's 2019 ban on new gas hookups effectively barred appliances that use the fuel, and that the U.S. Energy Policy Conservation Act preempts such a move.
New York City, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle are among dozens of U.S. municipalities that have enacted similar restrictions since Berkeley adopted its rule, citing environmental and health concerns.
The California Restaurant Association, which challenged the ban in court alongside other industry groups including natural gas utilities and homebuilders, hailed the ruling, saying Berkeley's ordinance "is an overreaching measure beyond the scope of any city."
ETFs: ( NYSEARCA: UNG ), ( UGAZF ), ( BOIL ), ( KOLD ), ( UNL ), ( FCG )
Earlier this year, a Consumer Product Safety Commission member floated the idea of a potential nationwide ban on gas stoves , prompting sharp criticism that forced the Biden administration to disavow the idea .
For further details see:
Court overturns Berkeley's first-in-the-U.S. ban on natural gas