De Blasio announces plan to ban gas hookups in NYC by 2030

During his ‘State of the City’ address on Thursday, New York City Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio called to ban gas hookups in new buildings in the city by 2030.

De Blasio had proposed in February 2020, banning the use of fossil fuels in all residential and commercial buildings by 2040, as part of a plan to upgrade city infrastructure to operate using renewable energy sources, such as hydro electric plants.

De Bladio said, “We need to make clear that New York City will renounce fossil fuels fully. Therefore, we need to ban fossil fuel connections in the city by the end of this decade, literally ensuring that our only choice is renewable energy.”

According to Politico, “The ban is among a list of policy items that environmental advocates are pushing Democratic mayoral candidates to commit to before the June primary.”

Environmental activist groups such as WeAct celebrated the announcement in a statement thanked “de Blasio for his bold leadership in signing a ban on the use of natural gas and oil in new construction by at least 2030. It is a step forward in achieving the City’s legislative mandate under the Climate Mobilization Act, which requires buildings in excess of 25,000 square feet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.”

Though other cities like Denver, Colorado are considering similar measures,

State legislatures in Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouriare considering laws to “block cities from banning gas hookups, in attempts to conserve gas-powered infrastructure,” according to National Review.

De Blasio claimed that the city would also work to ensure the ban does not negatively affect renters and low-income residents.

During his speech, de Blasio also called for calling for taxes to "redistribute the wealth" of the city’s richest residents in order to fund recovery efforts in the wake of restrictions placed on the city and state in response to the coronavirus.