Recognizing the risks posed by reliance on gas and a warming climate, the Los Angeles City Council sent an important message this week to the rest of California: it’s time to start phasing out polluting gas in our buildings through aggressive electrification.
As a proactive leader on climate issues, City Councilmember Paul Koretz, in partnership with Councilmembers Huizar and Blumenfield positioned Los Angeles at the forefront of climate action. Their Motion, approved by unanimous vote:
Directs the LA Building and Safety Department and the Department of Water and Power to report back within 90 days on ways to reduce gas usage in buildings — particularly in heating, cooking and water heaters.
Requires the Department of Water and Power to set building electrification targets for 2028 and 2038 to align with the city's greenhouse gas targets of 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2025 and 60 percent by 2035.
This decision comes on the heels of a letter by CEC Chair Weisenmiller and CPUC President Picker and a CPUC proposed resolution calling on LA County to adopt a short-term moratorium on new gas hook ups for industrial and commercial customers. The proposed moratorium effectively catalyzed local decision-makers to take steps to decrease long-term dependency on gas.
Gas use in our buildings is a too often overlooked source of air and climate pollution. While we rightly focus on scaling clean energy and cleaning up our grid, the LA region actually burns more fossil fuels in our buildings than in our power plants. Buildings are the largest source of climate pollution in LA, accounting for roughly half of the city’s GHG emissions (see Sustainable City pLAn for more details). As the City of LA rapidly moves toward 100% clean energy, residents, schools, and businesses will be able to power their homes and buildings with renewables.
All-electric homes and apartment buildings are not just good for the climate, they also eliminate hazardous indoor air pollution and the risk of fires from leaky gas pipes and indoor flames. Decarbonizing the grid and electrifying buildings will also mitigate the need for gas storage facilities such as Aliso Canyon, which in 2015 had the largest methane leak in U.S. history.
This week Los Angeles joined the ranks of other large cities -- New York and Vancouver -- in charting a pathway to gas-free climate-friendly living. As the second largest City in the U.S., electrifying new construction and existing buildings will go a long way to transforming the market for climate-friendly electric heat pumps and induction stoves.
However, ultimately we will need decisive action by California state agencies to accelerate a large-scale shift to zero-emission buildings. To facilitate this transition to 100% clean energy buildings, state policymakers should establish:
GHG reduction targets for the buildings sector to meet or exceed our climate goals;
Rebate programs to lower the cost to residents and business to switch from gas to clean electric appliances, especially in low-income areas most affected by air and climate pollution;
Updated building energy efficiency standards to support all-electric construction;
Workforce development programs to ensure electrification supports quality careers; and,
Electrification-friendly tariffs to ensure electrification is affordable and encourages electricity use when the sun and wind are producing clean electricity.
We are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change across the state -- raging fires, a 5-year drought, and the warmest winter on record -- making immediate action to reduce climate pollution all the more critical. Eliminating the burning of fossil fuels in our homes and buildings is an essential step to addressing our climate and air quality problems. As regulators at the CPUC, CEC, and CARB pursue policies to decarbonize the economy, we hope they will be inspired by LA’s bold and ambitious vision and urge them to follow suit. For now, let’s toast to Councilmember Koretz and the rest of the Council for continuing their work to keep LA on the leading edge of the fight for a safe climate future.