Southern California Gas Co is suing the California Energy Commission over the state’s climate policy and attempts to phase out natural gas as a source of heating and cooking. Southern California Gas Co, owned by Sempra Energy, is trying to shield itself from policy actions that could ban the hook-up of natural gas for all new homes. The California Energy Commission, for its part, is promoting building efficiency and emissions-cutting rules for new construction, encouraging home developers to build all-electric buildings in the state. For example, last year, Berkeley, California, passed an ordinance requiring all new homes to be all-electric with no gas hook-ups beginning in January 2020. Berkeley’s primary motivation for the gas hook-up ban was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the use of clean energy. Climate activists say that natural gas is a fossil fuel and is responsible for a large part of emissions from […]