San Francisco will ban natural gas in new buildings, becoming the latest in a string of cities in California to impose such restrictions.
The city's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday on legislation that will apply to more than 54,000 homes and 32 million square feet of commercial space in the city’s development pipeline,the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The measure is designed to help the city cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve safety.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, sponsor of the legislation, called it “an incremental but important move to help save our planet.”
San Francisco has already banned natural gas for any new city-owned building. Last year, Berkeley banned gas in new buildings. Since then more than 30 cities throughout California have approved similar bans.
Natural gas accounts for roughly 40% of San Francisco’s overall emissions of greenhouse gases and 80% of building emissions. Requiring cleaner, all-electric buildings in new construction will increase building safety, reduce emissions citywide, and improve indoor air quality, Mandelman said.
