Chicago is considering a proposal that would effectively ban the use of natural gas in new buildings, making it the latest Democratic city to pursue prohibiting future homes from using gas stoves.
Alderwoman Maria Hadden (D.), a sponsor of the proposal, told the Chicago Tribune that she plans to introduce on Wednesday the measure that would institute emissions standards that would forbid natural gas in new buildings.
"This is a matter of real survival and the future of our city—and especially our economic future. We’re being forced in this direction by nature, but also by policy and by business and industry," Hadden told the outlet. "People are making these decisions because it’s economical, it’s healthier, it’s safer."
Democrats at the federal, state, and local levels have floated or pursued bans on gas stoves. A proposed rule from President Joe Biden's Department of Energy would ban the sale of half of all gas stoves on the market, the department projected in February 2023.
Months later, the New York State legislature passed a bill that would require new buildings seven stories tall or shorter to use induction ranges and electric heat pumps. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D.) likened the transition from natural gas to the transition away from coal.
The Biden administration in June supported Berkeley, Calif.'s plan it enacted in 2019 to ban natural gas in future buildings. Years after the city handed down the plan, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the restriction of natural gas by cities and states violates federal law.
Earlier this month, the court declined a petition to grant the case a new hearing, meaning the ruling will be final unless the Supreme Court takes up the case.