Natural Gas In Homes, Businesses Could Be Banned By Contra Costa

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider asking staff to prepare an amendment to the county building code requiring electricity to be the sole source of power for all new residential and non-residential (hotel, office and retail) buildings, while prohibiting the installation of natural gas piping.

The new buildings affected would be in areas where the California Energy Commission has accepted studies demonstrating the cost effectiveness of the new requirements for all climate zones in the county.

In Sept. 2020, the board adopted a climate emergency resolution, saying the county should require electricity over gas in new construction. A staff report for Tuesday's meeting says "The built environment is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the county and in California."

Tuesday's staff report also says the board should consider asking the county's sustainability committee for a recommendation as to whether newly constructed restaurants and industrial buildings should also be held to the same standard.

Supervisors could wait for the state to impose the same requirements into its building code, which the report says isn't likely to happen until 2025, for implementation in 2026. The next state building code update is scheduled for 2022.

The board isn't deciding whether to amend the current building code on Tuesday, only whether to direct staff to draft an ordinance on which supervisors would later decide. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meets virtually at 9 a.m. Tuesday, at www.contracosta.ca.gov.

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