San Mateo exploring ban on natural gas

Opinions were mixed, with commissioners seeking consistency, an end date for the use of gas in the city, and also awareness of the cost to individuals of switching to all-electric in existing buildings.

A goal for the City Council this year was established to reduce emissions and phase out natural gas in buildings by 2030 to limit carbon emissions, with its Climate Action Plan declaring its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals a priority.

City staff recommended all new construction be electric, with fewer blanket exemptions for gas options given the availability of electric equipment. Staff also suggested establishing a process and criteria for gas exemptions instead of blanket bans. Several commissioners like Vice Chair Kimiko Narita supported following staff recommendations. She noted staff recommendations come from stakeholders like affordable housing developers and Peninsula Clean Energy, who have put significant time and energy into coming up with changes. She said at some point, the city needed to move away from gas as the default infrastructure option, given the health and environmental concerns.

“It’s on city councils across the Bay Area to pass something consistent, so developers have that certainty and consistency, and we don’t create misaligned incentives to move development from one city to another just to game reach codes,” Narita said.

Chair Adam Loraine favored looking at end dates and triggers for gas usage, given the importance of city priorities. He preferred more stringent electric reach codes for new and existing buildings, with some delayed implementation.

“I would like us to please consider an end-of-flow date for gas, as Half Moon Bay has done, as others are moving towards. Maybe it’s 2045. Maybe it’s 2030, given the mayor’s priority. Maybe it’s somewhere in between,” Loraine said.

The city is making recommendations based on findings from the Bay Area Reach Codes team, a coalition of various government organizations like Peninsula Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, East Bay Community Energy and the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability. San Mateo is embarking on a new reach code process before the current one expires Dec. 31. This fall, the city will adopt new codes, lasting three years and starting Jan. 1, 2023.

According to a city staff report, transportation accounts for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in San Mateo, followed by electricity and natural gas use in buildings at 34% of emissions.

The city is focusing on electric vehicle readiness in infrastructure and equipment during construction upgrades to meet future demand. This strategy includes more panels, circuits and outlets available in single-family homes, two-family townhomes, multifamily buildings and office buildings. Outlets could be installed during kitchen or laundry room renovations in single-family residents. The commissioners did not express interest in requiring electric heat pump water heating for existing single-family homes.

Commissioner Susan Rowinski remained worried about the burden of increased costs of switching to electric appliances for the elderly and working-class, such as heat pump water heaters in single-family residences. She noted rebates are often temporary or insufficient to ensure equity for those in need. Several people in her neighborhood are hesitant to submit permits for new work and are worried about additional costs. She wanted to persuade people to come into the fold and transition instead of forcing it upon them.

“I just can’t see how some of this is going to work out, given the availability of, or lack of availability of the rebates,” Rowinski said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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