The Chicago City Council is considering an ordinance that would effectively ban the use of natural gas in new buildings as the city aims to phase out fossil fuels.
Backers of the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance announced that the measure would be introduced on Jan. 24.
The proposal, introduced by Alderperson Maria Hadden (D-49th Ward), would limit the use of carbon-emitting gas in new buildings and also in buildings undergoing major additions of more than 10,000 square feet.
The ordinance would prohibit the combustion of any substance that emits 25 kilograms (55 pounds) or more of carbon dioxide per million British thermal units (Btu) of energy, similar to a measure enacted by New York City in 2021.
That would require new buildings in Chicago to use all-electric heating and cooking. There are exemptions for places such as hospitals, crematoriums, research laboratories, and some commercial kitchens. The legislation would take effect one year after it’s approved by the City Council.
“This is a matter of real survival and the future of our city—and especially our economic future,” Ms. Hadden told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re being forced in this direction by nature, but also by policy and by business and industry. People are making these decisions because it’s economical, it’s healthier, it’s safer.”
Proponents of the ordinance argue that limiting the use of carbon-emitting gas plays a crucial role in reducing emissions and lowering gas bills in Chicago.
“Status quo with regards to heating in Chicago is unsustainable in almost every sense of the term,” Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz told the Tribune.
“People’s gas bills are already extremely high, the gas utility is trying to get rate increases, people are paying a minimum of $50 a month before they even use any gas, and we have vast swaths of the city structurally unable to afford their heating bills,” she said.
However, the proposed legislation was denounced by the American Gas Association.
“From providing affordable energy to consumers to driving down emissions, the benefits this fuel has for our nation are tangible and impossible to ignore,” American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert said in a statement to the outlet. “Any push to ban natural gas in Chicago would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress, and deny affordable energy to underserved populations.”
Peoples Gas, a utility provider in the Windy City, issued a statement:
“We believe this proposed ordinance is a terrible idea for Chicago. It would increase costs and risk reliability for everyone, especially during the coldest days of the year like we are seeing this week.”
Alderman Gilbert Villegas (D-36th Ward) said that banning natural gas will cause the cost of electricity to dramatically increase, Fox News reported.
“During the winter’s frigid temperatures, where tens of thousands Chicagoans were left without electricity, now is the worst possible time to hastily slam through an ordinance without examining the true cost,” he said.
Chicago would follow other cities such as New York and Los Angeles that have passed ordinances to limit or prevent natural gas use in new buildings. Illinois has a goal of phasing out all fossil-fuel energy sources by 2050.
