Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Because we all know how reliable Californian electricity is.
No more fire in the kitchen: Cities are banning natural gas in homes to save the planet
Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO – Fix global warming or cook dinner on a gas stove?
That’s the choice for people in 13 cities and one county in California that have enacted new zoning codes encouraging or requiring all-electric new construction.The codes, most of them passed since June, are meant to keep builders from running natural gas lines to new homes and apartments, with an eye toward creating fewer legacy gas hookups as the nation shifts to carbon-neutral energy sources.
For proponents, it’s a change that must be made to fight climate change. For natural gas companies, it’s a threat to their existence. And for some cooks who love to prepare food with flame, it’s an unthinkable loss.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel, mostly methane, and produces 33% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas causing climate change.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/11/10/climate-change-solutions-more-cities-banning-natural-gas-homes/4008346002/
…
When my family lived in a blackout prone area, home gas appliances were a life saver; they meant we could still prepare warm food and drink, or heat the house, even when the power was out. Some gas appliances need electricity to function, but not all.
Given California’s failure in recent months to provide a reliable electricity supply, this insensitive push for all electric houses demonstrates an utter disregard for the safety and convenience of ordinary people.
When we moved into our new house (25 years ago) it was all electric.
At the time electricity was cheap in Oregon, and pretty reliable, so no problem.
But after trying to cook on the electric cook-top after a lifetime of gas, we were not impressed.
The electric oven wasn’t too bad.
Eventually, we gave in. Bought a gas cook-top and had pipe run from that to the outside, where we hooked up a 30lb propane tank. We generally have to fill the tank about twice a year. The cook-top has electric ignition, but when the electricity goes off (Democrat controlled legislature have made electricity expensive and seemingly less reliable) a match works just fine.
“ but when the electricity goes off”
You also need to purchase a propane “gas light”, mount it on the wall and hook it up to your propane tank.
Heat, lights, warm food and a battery radio makes power outages survivable.
This sounds like the conditions at home in the 1950s, except we ran off town gas made from coal.
The batteries for the radio were glass lead acid batteries that had to be taken to the local post office for charging.
We had to be careful lighting the gas oven, and make sure the gas was turned off after cooking.
The Ascot gas wwater heater in the bathroom provided scalding hot water, as I found out to my cost when my sister pushed me into the bath before any cold water had been added. Luckily mum pulled me out quickly and I only needed a couple of days in hospital.
A side benefit of town gas was that if it all got too much for one, you could always commit suicide by sticking your head in the oven and turning on the gas. The carbon monoxide in the town gas was the lethal ingredient. /S
Did any one follow the link all the way to the petition?
Yes I did. And they have a contact link that everyone should send a message to informing them of the foolishness in their position. Not that they will listen, but if they are overwhelmed with the truth coming at them from around the world, perhaps they will understand that there is another side and that it’s the other side that has the support from the scientific method, while climate alarmism is supported by a narrative alone.
It’s disturbing how emotionally driven issues pushed by the lunatic left makes so many people so stupid. Climate alarmism, open borders, medicare for all, partisan impeachment, coddling vagrants, wealth taxes, destroying capitalism and so much more are all examples of these far left, emotionally driven time bombs. Each of these positions is targeted to destroy our freedom, economy and country, while each is wrapped in a cloak of false benevolence in order to engage a gullible base.
Does anybody know why the political left pushes so many self destructive policy positions? TDS certainly contributes to what can only be considered a mass psychosis, but this brain disease started long before Trump announced his candidacy.
CA will soon have to build a wall on its eastern (and maybe the northern border) to keep taxpayers from leaving. Someone needs to pay for all the freebies and stupidity. East Berlin on the Pacific.
It may be time to convert to wood burning stoves. I’m not talking about using wood from over-protected forests and right of ways in California but wood from busted up furniture that people leave behind as they flee the state.
I just noticed tat Beserkeley CA has banned gas hookups for new construction. Since Berkeley is largely built out it won’t have much effect except for virtue signaling (which is it’s purpose) STUPID!!!
I won’t be building there.
First they came for the coal and I said nothing, as coal is “dirty”, and should be banned anyway. Then they came for the natural gas…
Oops.
Fix global warming or prepare dinner…..I was at a telecom conference in Johannesburg and all the talk was about making the internet ubiquitous for all Africans. But the headline in the news paper was “Internet or flush toilets?”
Off topic but illustrates the hubris one group can have about solving problems of other people. Your priority is not their priority.
I have an idea for a grass digester, which takes grass clippings and “digests” them, creating methane, to then be used for cooking and heating. Folks would be lining up like crazy to be the first on their block to have one, as envious neighbors exclaim: “Now you’re cooking with grass!”
Interesting. Brought up the question, however – how much CO2 is emitted by smoking marijuana?
Looked at it once. You may need the neighbors grass as well. Takes a lot of raw feed.
Meanwhile in Catch 22 NY we have this news…..
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cuomo-gives-national-grid-14-160222448.html
ResourceGuy
Bloomberg) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave National Grid Plc 14 days to figure out how to address natural gas shortages before he moves to revoke its license to operate in the state.
The Democrat said in a letter Tuesday that the utility owner’s moratorium for new gas hookups affecting 20,000 homes and businesses in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island shows that it failed to provide “adequate and reliable” service.
“The ‘moratorium’ is either a fabricated device or a lack of competence,” Cuomo wrote. “The very lack of supply you now point to as the reason for your denial of service to thousands of customers exhibits your failure to plan for supply needs.”
The 14-day deadline is the latest salvo between the governor and National Grid. They’ve been feuding since New York rejected a $1 billion expansion to a Williams Cos. gas pipeline, which the company says is crucial to meet rising demand. In response, National Grid imposed a freeze on new gas hookups.
In a statement, the company said it will respond to the governor by the deadline. “We continue to work with all parties on these critical natural gas supply issues on behalf of all our customers in downstate New York,” National Grid said.
Shares dropped 0.4% to an intraday low of $11.36 before rebounding to $11.42 in London.
Last month, Cuomo issued an emergency order requiring National Grid to reconnect about 1,100 consumers. Still, the company has a backlog of about 2,600 applications for service on hold. They represent about 20,000 businesses, houses and apartments, according to the firm.
Interesting bit of dope there 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grid_plc Used to be the old CEGB, a public body at the head of the nationalised electricity pyramid here in the UK. Subsequently ‘Privatised’ and I had no idea they had become active in so many overseas markets.
In our current election run up here in the UK, it seems that Labour (socialists) are touting the idea of re nationalising the utility areas.
Fanakapan –
“In our current election run up here in the UK, it seems that Labour (socialists) are touting the idea of re nationalising the utility areas.”
Hmmm.
“In our current election run up here in the UK, it seems that Labour (socialists) are touting the idea of expropriating the utility areas.”
Stealing is another word.
That’s how it looks from here.
People here need to realise – soon – that votes matter.
Auto
Considering it’s CA, you know this is just the camel’s nose.
Any bets the following will be incrementally enacted?
Sales of new gas appliances banned. If you need to replace yours, you must convert to electric.
No home can be resold without conversion of all natural gas appliances to electric.
(Now we get to the good stuff):
No permits will be issued for new gasoline/diesel stations.
No permits will be issued for the remodeling of existing g/d stations.
The sale of new commercial fuel pumps will be prohibited.
Permits for the sale of gasoline and diesel are not transferable, and new permits will not be issued for any location.
Just watch. You know it’s all going to come true.
The CCA’s are behind this. Went to a presentation to my local town council a month ago and the CCA pitched it for a future meeting. This way, the CCA gets to claim that since all their power is “carbon free”, obviously using electricity to heat your home, heat your water and cook your meals becomes instantly green. The future resident unable to buy gas is forced to spend huge sums on their expensive energy.
They are now on the bandwagon to say that since other progressive towns are so insightful as to ban new natural gas hookups, our town would look neanderthal if we did not.
Of course our wonderful town council person is head of the CCA council. They did the usual claim about how methane was 20x as bad as CO2….
This was at the same council meeting where the town started talking about undergrounding electrical lines. When I explained that the gas lines were already safely underground and it fell on deaf ears. I had met with the council person a few years back when the CCA was forming and had to explain to her why solar panels do not work at night, a point which she denied.
Did anyone ask them how much effect the ban will have on global temperatures?
Or even, by how much it will reduce global, or even US, emissions?
This is when you know its become a religion.
When people want to do things on account of a problem, and when, by their own account, they will actually have no effect on the problem. But they desperately want to do them anyway.
Lets ban gas cooking and heating in houses and make everyone use electtricity.
Why?
Because global warming.
And how much effect will this measure have on this global warming?
Er…er…. none.
So tell me again, why do you want to do it?
Because global warming.
Suppressing home consumer demand for nat gas will drive down the price of natural gas, thus increasing its attractiveness to grid operators installing more CCGT capacity.
“Believe in climate change as though it’s a religion and not a science” – Dem. US senator from Hawaii to her constituents
https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1194284682080399361
Q: What’s the difference between California and the USSR?
A: The USSR had electricity.
https://twitter.com/ThePeoplesCube/status/1194292671579332609
Q: What’s the difference between California and the USSR?
A: Answer one is history and the other is working on following suit.
Criminally irresponsible.
There are certainly parts of California where pretty much 100% of heating needs can be met with a heat pump, which is more efficient than burning natural gas for home heating for mild climates. Not so much for other heating (water, dryer, cooking), but without the heating the house the overhead cost of gas probably wipes out most of the gains there. Only the die-hard cooks will care, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the lion’s share of existing construction was all electric already. So this is just grandstanding.
If it never really gets below freezing then losing heat due to an electricity outage is mostly just uncomfortable.
Again, you can get away with things in a Mediterranean climate that would get you killed on the northern plains.
I wish the greens would get their act together and be consistent (I know, small hope of that).
In South Australia re are required to get rid of electric hot water systems even though we are the ‘greenest’ state in Oz with the largest number of wind/solar systems. Apparently, electricity is bad for hot water generation on this side of the planet.
They are promoting natural gas hookups, though. Again, the opposite idea to the US because down under, gas is highly efficient and helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s hard to keep up with the disparate ideas these idjits come up with.
If people’s only recourse is then to chop down trees and make fires they will chop down the trees for fires. People have to survive.
Stupid, stuipd, stupid. Don’t allow controlled forest burns which results in more forest fires releasing more Co2 than they can count but blame Gas Stoves for Co2 induced global warming.
I followed the link to the USA Today article, read it and sent the following email to its author, Elizabeth Weise:
“Ms Weise, I read your USA Today piece on home use of natural gas. May I suggest that you contact a couple of atmospheric chemists who are not affiliated advocacy organizations. You might be surprised at the chemical pathway of methane in the atmosphere. I suggest that some journalistic skepticism may be in order.
Regards,
Ray Girouard”
Her response:
“I’ve actually spoken with dozens of chemists, climatologists, atmospheric scientists and others, as have hundreds of my colleagues. There is no doubt that global warming is real and is human-caused.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/26/global-warming-99-9999-percent-chance-humans-cause/2994043002/”
No skepticism, just living life in the religious echo chamber that is the so-called war on carbon.
You expected something else from USA Today. Leftie and Woke as any rag in the universe.
There is nothing wrong with electricity, its the method of producing it that
is the problem. That has to be 24/7, no ifs or buts. and it has to be cheap.
True many cooks prefer gas for cooking, and many say that gas is better for
heating the house.
Long term Nuclear is the obvious answer, but we have to get past the
Greens favourite poster, a Mother holding a baby and in the background is a Mushroom shaped cloud. .
While I can understand that some people are scared of Nuclear ., why are the Greens so against Dams and Hydro electric.
True maybe the odd creature is unhappy, but thousands love the brand new
lake.
MJE VK5ELL
‘this insensitive push for all electric houses demonstrates an utter disregard for the safety and convenience of ordinary people.’
Governments are formed amongst men for mutual protection.
Governments tire of doing their function, and venture off into all sorts of silliness. Government picking one utility over another? Not their job. They are not fit for purpose. I repeat: GOVERNMENT IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE!
Electric bill was pushing 400 a month back in 2014. Bit the bullet and purchased a high efficiency heat pump, converted electric water heater to gas and replaced electric cooktop with gas one, replaced electric dryer with gas one. Power bill is now under 200 a month. All upgrades have been paid for with the saving on electricity.