18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY January 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Electrify Everything Monterey County should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring new homes to be all-electric. By Michael DeLapa and Ben Gould FORUM Monterey County’s draft greenhouse gas inventory, updated in August 2022, contained a surprising statistic: Nearly one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions occurring in the unincorporated county derive from burning natural gas in homes and businesses. Phasing out gas and phasing in electricity is absolutely critical to reducing carbon pollution. Burning natural gas provides heat for indoor spaces, hot water, clothes drying and, of course, cooking food. But don’t let the name fool you—just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean burning it is good for the environment (or for your health). Natural gas is a fossil fuel, and its primary ingredient, methane, is 27 times more potent at heating our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Burning methane produces a wide range of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter and formaldehyde, among other chemicals. The use of gas stoves is linked to increased risk of asthma. Because of these climate and health reasons, nearly 70 cities and counties across the state—including Contra Costa, Ventura and Santa Clara counties—have banned natural gas in new buildings and are advancing clean, zero-emission, all-electric construction instead. An effort that started in Berkeley in 2019 has since spread to Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Other cities across the country have also adopted similar all-electric requirements, including New York City and Washington, D.C. In November, the state of Washington adopted legislation banning gas heating in all new construction statewide. Starting in 2030, gas heaters and furnaces will be banned in California, in favor of emission-free, all-electric options. In early November 2022, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors discussed developing a “reach code” to prohibit the expansion of gas infrastructure in new construction and require new construction to be all-electric. This “reach code,” if adopted, would “reach” beyond the state of California’s building code to provide this added requirement. It would ensure that new homes built in the unincorporated county area would not be designed around natural gas, locking in decades of fossil fuel usage and associated emissions. Instead, new construction could be built around innovative, cutting-edge electric technologies like heat pumps and induction stoves, which are extremely efficient, responsive and quick to provide heating. With Central Coast Community Energy providing 100-percent renewable electricity locally, it only makes sense to use the cleanest energy source available to us today to power new buildings. The state will catch up in 2030— meanwhile, Monterey County can be a leader in the fight against climate change and toward a zero-emission future. If you support clean, all-electric new construction, please ask your county supervisor to support a reach code to support it. There is no date yet set for the board to return to this topic. Michael DeLapa is executive director of LandWatch Monterey County. Ben Gould is co-founder and president at EcoDataLab. OPINION It only makes sense to use the cleanest energy available. New to Medicare soon? Get the information you need to make good decisions about your health coverage! Call to learn more about our FREE service in your area! 800-434-0222 Join our In-Person Presentation: Thursday, January 26, 5:30pm-6:30pm Alliance on Aging HUB Conference Room 236 Monterey Street, Salinas This project was supported, in part, by grant number 90SAPG0094-03-00 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy. www.allianceonaging.org Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program - ‘HICAP’ MEDICARE QUESTIONS?
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