California city attempts to raise cost of gas stoves to 'disincentivize' natural gas infrastructure

The Wall Street Journal editorial board slammed the city of Berkeley's attempts to raise the cost of installing gas stoves in commercial and residential buildings.

"Democrats insist they aren’t coming for gas stoves, but look at how the People’s Republic of Berkeley is trying to tax them into obsolescence," The Wall Street Journal wrote in an editorial published Thursday. 

The Biden-Harris administration received criticism from consumers and businesses after it announced energy efficiency regulations targeting gas-powered stovetops as part of its broader climate agenda. It later backed off from a more aggressive proposal announced in 2023. 

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"It is the intent of the People to disincentivize obsolete natural gas infrastructure and associated greenhouse gas emissions in existing commercial and large residential buildings, thereby reducing the environmental and health hazards produced by the consumption and transportation of natural gas," the initiative supporting the measure in Berkeley says, per the Journal. 

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'"The People' in power want to do this by imposing an excise tax on commercial and multifamily apartment buildings that starts at $2.96 per therm consumed," the Journal wrote. "That's roughly twice the U.S. average residential retail price for natural gas. It would add up to about $180 a month for a typical household's gas consumption."

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The Journal's editorial board explained that the purpose of this policy is to "coerce building owners to replace gas with electric appliances even though doing so is costly and in many cases impractical." 

"A mere majority of Berkeley voters need to approve the gas tax, which may be easy to secure in a city where only 4% of voters are registered Republicans," the editorial continued. 

"Berkeley voters will have to eat their own cooking if the gas tax passes, but crackpot coercion in California tends to spread across the country, including to Congress," the Journal wrote. 

The City of Berkeley did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.