California Republican leaders like Assemblyman James Gallagher are asking the Trump Energy Department to intervene against the state's climate agenda push to ban natural gas resources. (Getty Images | Fox News Digital)
California has intensified efforts to phase out natural gas appliances in recent years for what lawmakers claim will cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered space and water heaters by 2030, requiring homes and businesses to transition to zero-emission alternatives like electric heat pumps. The state’s 2023 energy code also encourages all-electric construction, making it more costly for developers to install gas appliances.
"I hope the federal government weighs in and restores consumer choice in California," Gallagher said. "We should be able to choose whether or not we want electric or gas, and we especially need to make those choices so we can ensure that we can afford to live in this state, because right now, electricity, because of [Gov.] Gavin Newsom and the Democrats policies, has exploded the prices through the roof."
The Republicans are also requesting that the DOE "engage legally with any California jurisdiction violating EPCA [Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975] in order to enforce the federal preemption of any state or local gas bans."
"In light of these actions by a number of California state agencies, local governments, and regulatory bodies, we ask the Department of Energy to intervene where appropriate to overturn these overreaching policies," the letter stated.
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PRO-ENERGY AGENDA WILL UNLEASH AMERICAN JOBS AND ENERGY SECURITY
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (AP/Alex Brandon)
More than 70 cities in the Golden State, starting with Berkeley in 2019, enacted local ordinances prohibiting natural gas hookups in new buildings. However, a 2024 federal court ruling overturned Berkeley’s ban, prompting some municipalities to reconsider their policies. Meanwhile, the state legislature passed a bill requiring warning labels on gas stoves, citing health risks linked to indoor emissions. If signed into law, California would become the first state to ban gas appliances.
And California's Democratic majority has the backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In recent years, Newsom signed laws restricting new oil and gas wells near certain sites and signed off on neighborhoods to transition to all-electric systems. Additionally, in December 2024, state regulators approved a plan to reduce reliance on a major natural gas storage facility.
In a recent interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown earlier this month, Newsom said homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires "can't rebuild the same, so we have to rebuild with science, we have to rebuild with a climate reality in mind […]."
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Fox News Digital did not hear back from Newsom's office by time of publication.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ca-republicans-urge-trump-admin-fight-states-attack-natural-gas-its-sick