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.
If passed, manufacturers would pay fees for each natural gas water heater or furnace they sold above a specified amount in the district’s area of coverage, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County.
“I, like everybody here, supports clean air,” said Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who opposed the regulations at the June 6 meeting. “But we must also pursue environmental progress without punishing the very people we serve today. … I think this mandate hits really hard for disadvantaged and fixed-income residents.”…