SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Smog shrouds the Los Angeles metropolitian area on October 7, 2016.
(Photo: dog97209/flickr/cc)
Southern California Passes First US Rule to Electrify Water Heaters, Boilers
"When it comes to our industrial sector, we don't have to boil the planet to boil water," said one campaigner."If Southern California can forge ahead and do this, so can the rest of the nation."
Jun 07, 2024
Climate and environmental campaigners on Friday applauded a Southern California regulator's passage of a new rule that proponents say will sharply reduce emissions produced by more than 1 million water heaters and boilers by mandating a major shift from gas to electric-powered equipment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) approved Amended Rule 1146.2, which will require smaller heaters and boilers in newly constructed buildings to meet zero-emissions limits beginning in 2026. Existing buildings will have until 2033 to comply. The new rule follows another first-in-the nation SCAQMD measure approved last year requiring zero-emissions standards for commercial ovens.
"What we're trying to do is figure out how to transform industry and drive the right types of investments... that prioritize low- and zero-emission technology," said Evan Gillespie, a partner at Los Angeles-based Industrious Labs, which co-sponsored the legislation along with the climate and environmental justice group Earthjustice.
According to Earthjustice:
The South Coast Air Basin, which covers Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, is home to the worst air quality in the country. In order to bring the region's dangerously polluted air into compliance with state and federal laws, the air district is tasked with reducing harmful emissions from all major pollution sources. While less visible than emissions-spewing pollution sources like refineries and trucks, fossil fuel-powered boilers and water heaters are a significant source of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) and deadly particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the region.
"When it comes to our industrial sector, we don't have to boil the planet to boil water," said Adrian Martinez, deputy managing attorney of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "With this pivotal rule, Southern California is set to replace over a million pieces of gas-powered equipment with zero-emissions technology."
"This is a major step forward in our region's fight to clean the air for over 17 million people and invest in zero-emissions solutions," Martinez added. "If Southern California can forge ahead and do this, so can the rest of the nation."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Climate and environmental campaigners on Friday applauded a Southern California regulator's passage of a new rule that proponents say will sharply reduce emissions produced by more than 1 million water heaters and boilers by mandating a major shift from gas to electric-powered equipment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) approved Amended Rule 1146.2, which will require smaller heaters and boilers in newly constructed buildings to meet zero-emissions limits beginning in 2026. Existing buildings will have until 2033 to comply. The new rule follows another first-in-the nation SCAQMD measure approved last year requiring zero-emissions standards for commercial ovens.
"What we're trying to do is figure out how to transform industry and drive the right types of investments... that prioritize low- and zero-emission technology," said Evan Gillespie, a partner at Los Angeles-based Industrious Labs, which co-sponsored the legislation along with the climate and environmental justice group Earthjustice.
According to Earthjustice:
The South Coast Air Basin, which covers Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, is home to the worst air quality in the country. In order to bring the region's dangerously polluted air into compliance with state and federal laws, the air district is tasked with reducing harmful emissions from all major pollution sources. While less visible than emissions-spewing pollution sources like refineries and trucks, fossil fuel-powered boilers and water heaters are a significant source of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) and deadly particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the region.
"When it comes to our industrial sector, we don't have to boil the planet to boil water," said Adrian Martinez, deputy managing attorney of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "With this pivotal rule, Southern California is set to replace over a million pieces of gas-powered equipment with zero-emissions technology."
"This is a major step forward in our region's fight to clean the air for over 17 million people and invest in zero-emissions solutions," Martinez added. "If Southern California can forge ahead and do this, so can the rest of the nation."
From Your Site Articles
Climate and environmental campaigners on Friday applauded a Southern California regulator's passage of a new rule that proponents say will sharply reduce emissions produced by more than 1 million water heaters and boilers by mandating a major shift from gas to electric-powered equipment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) approved Amended Rule 1146.2, which will require smaller heaters and boilers in newly constructed buildings to meet zero-emissions limits beginning in 2026. Existing buildings will have until 2033 to comply. The new rule follows another first-in-the nation SCAQMD measure approved last year requiring zero-emissions standards for commercial ovens.
"What we're trying to do is figure out how to transform industry and drive the right types of investments... that prioritize low- and zero-emission technology," said Evan Gillespie, a partner at Los Angeles-based Industrious Labs, which co-sponsored the legislation along with the climate and environmental justice group Earthjustice.
According to Earthjustice:
The South Coast Air Basin, which covers Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, is home to the worst air quality in the country. In order to bring the region's dangerously polluted air into compliance with state and federal laws, the air district is tasked with reducing harmful emissions from all major pollution sources. While less visible than emissions-spewing pollution sources like refineries and trucks, fossil fuel-powered boilers and water heaters are a significant source of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) and deadly particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the region.
"When it comes to our industrial sector, we don't have to boil the planet to boil water," said Adrian Martinez, deputy managing attorney of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "With this pivotal rule, Southern California is set to replace over a million pieces of gas-powered equipment with zero-emissions technology."
"This is a major step forward in our region's fight to clean the air for over 17 million people and invest in zero-emissions solutions," Martinez added. "If Southern California can forge ahead and do this, so can the rest of the nation."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.