California “Greenies” ban gas furnaces, water heaters in pursuit of zero carbon emissions

09/27/2022 / By Roy Green

The “Greenies” – leftist politicians in California – continue to come up with radical ideas in their wild pursuit to curb ozone pollution. This time, they have set their sights on natural gas furnaces and water heaters, wanting them gone from Californians’ homes by 2030.

Earlier this year, leftist politicians in the Golden State enacted a ban on small off-road engines like lawn mowers and leaf blowers, wanting them gone after 2024. It followed a proposed ban on gasoline-powered cars, SUVs and other vehicles, which the Greenies want off the streets by 2035. By 2040, they want diesel-fueled semi-trucks junked, too. (Related: Now the climate “greenies” are going after natural gas, want it eliminated from homes nationwide.)

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) voted on Sept. 23 to enact the new policy, which will slowly phase out the sales of gas furnaces and heaters in favor of electric ones, never mind that they are costlier to install. One customer said he shelled out $27,000 upfront to install the heat pump.

Obviously, environmental advocates like Leah Louis Prescott aren’t taking into account that in these times of spiking inflation, switching to new home equipment is out of the equation. All they care is that the new policy would reduce emissions and pollution and eventually result in cleaner air for Californians by reducing emissions.

“Together, furnaces and water heaters that typically run on gas account for 90 percent of gas use in the average California household,” she told San Diego channel FOX 5. “So just eliminating these two sources of pollution is going to be a big win for our air quality and our health as well as for addressing climate change.”

“We’re really hopeful that this is the beginning of a domino effect and other states will follow California’s lead. I do think a lot more states are going to be following in California’s footsteps and looking at this as an opportunity to reduce the pollution in our homes and businesses.”

While no other state has followed the California example, other cities there do. The city of Los Angeles joined Sacramento’s carbon cutting policies, ensuring that 100 percent of new vehicles sold were powered by electricity come 2035.

Last May, the L.A. City Council passed a resolution “banning gas appliances from being installed in new homes and businesses, and instead requiring electric stoves, clothes dryers, furnaces and water heaters.” (Related: “Woke” California bill would ban gas-powered generators in part of the state that has more than its share of brownouts.)

Analysts: California policies will have little to no effect on state’s carbon output

While the Greenies believe their moves will impact the environment soon, analysts believe otherwise. They emphasized that California’s latest policies affecting furnaces and water heaters “will have little to no effect on the state’s carbon output.”

One such warning came from Bloomberg, which simply explained: “Since California still gets about 40 percent of its power from fossil fuels, the transition won’t eliminate carbon emissions.”

It also contended that California, or any other state, will never be able to entirely “eliminate carbon emissions” as alternate power sources like wind, solar and water are too unreliable and costly to tap 100 percent.

NPR also joined the fray, taking a cautious stance on the California green dream. It quoted retired engineer Michael Kapolnek, who told the outlet that “the emissions that would be saved don’t justify the cost to homeowners forced into expensive retrofits, like upgrading electrical service.”

True enough, the American Gas Association estimated that using fossil fuel in heating, cooking and clothes drying in a home would lead to a total annual saving of $879.

The Texas Deep Freeze in February 2021 is a grim reminder that nature can compromise power. When the giant windmills stilled its power, tens of thousands in Texas shivered in the cold.

But all these fall on deaf ears, as the California Greenies won’t take heed. They will pursue the idyllic dream of a nation with zero carbon emissions, devoid of nuclear power and fossil fuels and making do with wind, solar and water power. Dream on.

Watch California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Greenie, talk about the Golden State’s ban on gas vehicle sales.

This video is from Thought Criminal channel on Brighteon.com.