(The Center Square) — New York’s pending ban on natural gas in new buildings and homes could be preempted by a plan working its way through Congress, which would block states from setting restrictions on new fossil fuel hookups.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday voted 24-21 to recommend the Energy Choice Act be forwarded to the full House of Representatives for consideration along with 14 other bills aimed at reducing the cost of energy and blocking restrictions on fossil-fuel powered appliances.
The Energy Choice Act, if approved and signed by President Donald Trump, would prevent states or local governments from banning energy sources like natural gas or propane in new construction. That would effectively block New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act — described by critics as a “gas stove ban” — before it goes into effect next year.
The bill’s primary sponsor, New York Republican Rep. Nick Langworth, said the movement on the legislation is a “major victory for New Yorkers and a critical step toward blocking Governor Kathy Hochul’s natural gas ban in homes and businesses across the state.” He is urging fellow lawmakers to pass the legislation.
“Banning natural gas in New York is one of the most reckless and clueless policies ever pushed on working families,” Langworthy said in a statement. “It rips away an affordable, reliable energy source and replaces it with higher costs, weaker grids, and winter blackouts waiting to happen. It’s dangerous, it’s out of touch, and it’s going to have a cataclysmic effect on our energy supply, economy, and New Yorkers’ budgets.”
Langworthy said the bill is backed by more than 200 local governments that have passed resolutions in support, 124 co-sponsors in the House from dozens of states and is endorsed by key industry stakeholders. Republicans have filed a similar bill in the U.S. Senate.
The New York law, which bans natural gas and oil heating in most new construction by 2029, was set to take effect on Jan. 1 but the Hochul administration decided to delay implementation of the requirements while a legal challenge from industry groups plays out in court.
Hochul has pushed for a ban on new and existing gas hook-ups as part of her environmental agenda, saying the move would improve public health and help reduce the state’s carbon footprint. She has been pressured by environmental groups who want New York to electrify its buildings, claiming they contribute to a large portion of the state’s excess greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change.
But Republican lawmakers and construction industry groups have criticized the new law as government overreach, saying it would punish consumers with higher energy costs but do little to blunt the impacts of climate change.
Langworthy said there is “zero doubt” that Hochul is planning to delay implementation of the gas ban until after next year’s election, when the Democrat will be on the ballot seeking another four years in office.
“That’s why it’s more important than ever to pass my Energy Choice Act to ensure that New Yorkers have federal protections against this radical, dangerous ban,” he said. “New York is already on its knees facing the worst affordability crisis in the nation — this would send us off the cliff with no return.”
