The Bay Area Air Quality Management District plans to submit its recently approved policy phasing out gas water heaters and furnaces to the state to tie it into enforcement at the state and federal levels.
Davina Hurt
At a meeting in late June, the district decided to submit rules 9.4 and 9.6 that govern emissions levels in furnaces, boilers and water heaters to the California Air Resources Board for inclusion in the state implementation plan, or SIP. The rules call for reducing the permitted level of nitrogen oxides emitted by the appliances to zero. Rules in the SIP are federally enforceable and any further changes would require approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent backsliding on the commitments, according to staff.
Davina Hurt, a member of the Board of Directors and also the Belmont vice mayor, said the region needed to work together and be optimistic about the future rather than focusing on the status quo. She said every sector needed to make changes to improve the environment, noting other countries were making the needed changes. District staff have said the decision will show leadership and innovation in public health.
“We have to do a little bit of everything to improve the air and protect the health of our communities,” Hurt said.
By 2027, homeowners looking to replace their natural gas water heater will have to seek out an electric version. And by 2029, aging natural gas furnaces will need to be replaced with an electric unit following a previous decision by the board in March. Policymakers are targeting furnaces and water heaters because the appliances produce similar rates of NOx as passenger vehicles in the Bay Area. The toxins cause respiratory irritation like coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing, asthma and an increased likelihood of contracting respiratory illnesses.
However, Ray Mueller, a member of the Board of Directors and also a San Mateo County supervisor, said he still had concerns about grid capacity and directly imposing additional costs to the consumer due to the higher costs of electrical options versus gas. He voted against the June 21 item, noting that waiting longer gave the district more options than committing itself to a difficult standard. Staff has acknowledged zero NOx space and water heater technology is currently limited and expensive to install, but there are projections availability will increase while the cost will decrease. They expect the transition to be complete by 2046 through an incremental phase-out.
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“The fact that we are sort of cementing this in early both in our workplace but also within what we are submitting to the SIP really gives me pause. I don’t think we need to be doing this at this time,” Mueller said.
Community concerns and unanswered questions about the implementation of the program will be further addressed through a working group of external stakeholders. Brian Barnacle, a member of the Board of Directors, said while there are concerns, there is work being done to build the market and the ecosystem in the electrical energy fields.
“The work that’s being done to build this new market is well underway and moving way faster than our implementation working group, so I hope that gives some people some confidence, and I’ll definitely be supporting this,” Barnacle said.
The policy change will not require replacing functioning natural gas appliances, and homeowners can still have their gas water heaters and furnaces repaired if possible. The policy also does not apply to appliances used for cooking, like gas stoves.
Since 2005 carbon dioxide has been reduced by 20%, primarily greenhouse gas emitted by human actives. Yet from what we are told by our government and envrionmentalists, sea levels and temperatures are still rising. Flood walls are built along the Bay trail in Foster City and San Mateo as we prepare for the end of time. In January 2019, World Scientist AOC said , man made climate change "will destroy the planet in 12 years". That gives us about 8 1/2 years to keep building walls and banning gas appliances. Perhaps man isn't responsible for the earth's weather patterns and there is nothing we can do to change it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be good stewards of our planet, but it does mean man can't control everything.
She is the poster child for the tyranny of appointed committees. Ms. Hurt does not have a clue. She cannot by any stretch of the imagination even produce any evidence that banning natural gas consumption will have an effect on our natural environment. But, all she and the BAAQMD need is a lust for power and control fortified by lots of gullible, uninformed citizens especially anxiety-prone young women.
I'm very angry about this. It's going to cost homeowners thousands of dollars to modify their home electrical systems, and if their furnaces or water heaters go out before that's been done, it may mean weeks without heat or hot water. CARB needs a total replacement of its members.
Ah yes, virtue signaling continues with the silly ban on gas appliances… Perhaps instead of pushing a policy that will do virtually nothing to affect the climate, these folks should focus on forest fire management and practices. Didn’t CA wildfires in 2020 create enough carbon emissions to offset 16 years of reductions, twice over? If CA were serious about emissions, CA would put more money towards forest management and wildfire prevention, to the benefit of everyone around the globe. Perhaps supplemented by reparations from Canada whose emissions from their multiple forest fires are drifting into the US?
Meanwhile, I’d recommend folks think about replacing their gas heaters before 2027 and their gas furnaces before 2029. Appliance repairmen, or enterprising folks, should start collecting spare parts from disposed gas heaters and furnaces. Business may boom in 2027 and again in 2029 due to short-sighted government nanny policies.
Terence - she and the board members are just grandstanding. They know full well that these mandates are not even close to feasible. But, she and her cohorts are arrogant, don't know much about science and are aware that they difficult to dislodge. Discussions with her are fruitless so all we can do is vote the incompetent, condescending morons out of office.
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(6) comments
Since 2005 carbon dioxide has been reduced by 20%, primarily greenhouse gas emitted by human actives. Yet from what we are told by our government and envrionmentalists, sea levels and temperatures are still rising. Flood walls are built along the Bay trail in Foster City and San Mateo as we prepare for the end of time. In January 2019, World Scientist AOC said , man made climate change "will destroy the planet in 12 years". That gives us about 8 1/2 years to keep building walls and banning gas appliances. Perhaps man isn't responsible for the earth's weather patterns and there is nothing we can do to change it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be good stewards of our planet, but it does mean man can't control everything.
She is the poster child for the tyranny of appointed committees. Ms. Hurt does not have a clue. She cannot by any stretch of the imagination even produce any evidence that banning natural gas consumption will have an effect on our natural environment. But, all she and the BAAQMD need is a lust for power and control fortified by lots of gullible, uninformed citizens especially anxiety-prone young women.
I'm very angry about this. It's going to cost homeowners thousands of dollars to modify their home electrical systems, and if their furnaces or water heaters go out before that's been done, it may mean weeks without heat or hot water. CARB needs a total replacement of its members.
Sorry, should have said BAAQMD. Although CARB could use a shakeup, too.
Ah yes, virtue signaling continues with the silly ban on gas appliances… Perhaps instead of pushing a policy that will do virtually nothing to affect the climate, these folks should focus on forest fire management and practices. Didn’t CA wildfires in 2020 create enough carbon emissions to offset 16 years of reductions, twice over? If CA were serious about emissions, CA would put more money towards forest management and wildfire prevention, to the benefit of everyone around the globe. Perhaps supplemented by reparations from Canada whose emissions from their multiple forest fires are drifting into the US?
Meanwhile, I’d recommend folks think about replacing their gas heaters before 2027 and their gas furnaces before 2029. Appliance repairmen, or enterprising folks, should start collecting spare parts from disposed gas heaters and furnaces. Business may boom in 2027 and again in 2029 due to short-sighted government nanny policies.
Terence - she and the board members are just grandstanding. They know full well that these mandates are not even close to feasible. But, she and her cohorts are arrogant, don't know much about science and are aware that they difficult to dislodge. Discussions with her are fruitless so all we can do is vote the incompetent, condescending morons out of office.
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