CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson is backing a plan that would ban natural gas connections in newly-constructed apartment buildings and homes — a move advocates call a “first step” in combating climate change at the local level.
The Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance would require new commercial and residential buildings to comply with an indoor emissions standard that would make it effectively impossible to use natural gas for heating and cooking, supporters said.
The measure is expected to be introduced at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, and would still need to be approved in committee and by the full Council. It would go into effect one year after its passage.
The proposed changes would not impact any existing building where tenants heat their home and cook their food with gas, sponsor Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) said. But she called the legislation a “game-changer” in fighting pollution and high gas prices across Chicago.
“We know that for a clean and healthy and affordable future, we need to make these changes,” Hadden said at a Tuesday press conference, where she was joined by activists as well as the city’s chief sustainability officer Angela Tovar.
The full ordinance text is available here.
Hadden and other advocates argue that by reducing dependence on gas for heating and cooking, consumers will see cheaper utility bills and breathe in fewer pollutants, like benzene and carbon monoxide.
The ordinance would apply to all new commercial and residential buildings, as well as additions over 10,000 square feet, according to a fact sheet compiled by the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition.
“Commercial cooking, emergency backup power, industrial production, wood fireplaces, hospitals and laboratories” would be exempt from the changes.
New York, Los Angeles and other cities have instituted similar laws in recent years.
One study shared by proponents of the change found that all-electric new single family homes were cheaper to build and maintain than those with gas appliances.
But the ordinance is already receiving pushback, with Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) and several unions holding a press conference on Monday urging alderpeople to reconsider.
Villegas said he plans to introduce a separate resolution to garner feedback on the legislation and its potential impact.
“Banning natural gas in Chicago will dramatically increase electric energy costs and impose a regressive tax on the impoverished and the middle class,” according to a statement issued by Villegas and other critics on Monday. “This resolution would allow the Council to hear from those who would be affected and advocate for choice.”
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