Federal Court Overturns Multiple Natural Gas Bans in California

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has ruled that the first natural gas ban in the US, passed by the city of Berkeley, California, is illegal and preempted by a federal law. The decision marks a victory for the California Restaurant Association, which sued the city shortly after it passed the ordinance banning the use of natural gas in new construction. However, environmental advocates argue that natural gas use in buildings releases huge quantities of greenhouse gases and threatens people's health. Municipal gas bans in buildings could deal a financial blow to the fossil fuel industry.