Southern California Regulators Reject Plan to Phase out Gas-Powered Furnaces and Water Heaters

The plan would have raised costs for residents and burdened the grid, say opposing board members. Those in favor point to the ‘consequences of dirty air.’

A gas powered water heater is displayed at a Home Depot store in San Rafael, Calif., on March 15, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Southern California air-quality regulators rejected a plan to phase out some natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters in a meeting June 6.

A majority of the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s 12-member board cited high costs for homeowners and lack of electrical infrastructure in the state as reasons they could not support the proposed plan.