Exploring the clash over California's gas ban in new buildings, focusing on the challenges faced by restaurants in transitioning to electric appliances and the suspicious funding of the legal battle by the gas industry.
After Berkeley, California, became the first city in the US to ban natural gas in new buildings in 2019, it gained an unlikely opponent: the California Restaurant Association. The industry group sued the city, and kicked off a four-year-plus legal battle that ended with the city backing down. But when Bloomberg’s Ben Elgin started following the money, he found evidence that raised questions about where the association got its support.
In today’s episode, host Sarah Holder speaks with Elgin about the fight against California gas bans and how gas companies are planning to leverage that victory nationally.
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