Building codes and utility regulations differ from state to state, so while California regulators had no problem with several local natural gas bans there, cities in Massachusetts might run afoul of state law. Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images With concerns about natural gas’s impact on climate change rising, several Massachusetts cities and towns have started exploring outright bans on new natural gas hookups in commercial and residential buildings. Berkeley, California, passed the first such ban in the country this past summer, and other West Coast cities have since followed with similar restrictions. But in Massachusetts, as Cambridge discovered on Wednesday, it might be harder—if not impossible—to do. The reason: the city ordinances and town bylaws in Massachusetts may conflict with existing regulations that are governed by the state. During a Cambridge City Council committee meeting Wednesday, the city’s attorney advised that a proposed gas ban there might not stand up […]