US natural gas utilities are rallying against an emergent threat to their historically stable business as communities worried about climate change block new pipelines and gas connections for homes. As the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, natural gas reduced total US energy-: related carbon emissions as it displaced coal at power stations. The majority of household heating, hot water and cooking is now fuelled by gas, while it is also the most-used input for US electricity generation, aided by cheap supplies from shale drilling.
However, this has led annual emissions from gas to increase by nearly 500m tonnes in the past 10 years, including a 4 percent rise in 2019, the Energy Information Administration estimates. This rise has stoked opposition against new pipelines and home connections, with climate activists saying energy demand could be better served by renewable sources.
The city of Berkeley last year banned gas connections in new construction, sparking similar efforts in other communities. In New York state, regulators stopped a new pipeline sought by National Grid, causing the UK-based utility owner to halt gas hookups for new customers until the governor threatened to revoke its operating license.