Amazingly the 9th Circuit is ENFORCING WRITTEN LAW and knocking down Gaian lunacy!
Yesterday, in a unanimous opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the nation’s first ban on natural gas, put in place by the City of Berkeley in 2019, violates federal law. The three judges found that the city’s ordinance was preempted by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, which prohibits the implementation of regulations that favor one type of fuel over another. … The ruling should invalidate the dozens of gas bans that have been enacted across the country over the past four years. It may also mean that plans by federal authorities, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to ban, or restrict, the use of gas stoves, gas furnaces, and other gas-fired appliances, are kaput.
Remains to be seen whether the bigger demons will bother to obey, but the 9th Circuit has impeccable Gaian credentials until now. Can’t automatically dismiss it as Trumptard. Oregon and Washington are within the 9th, so they will nominally have to obey. The Feds don’t have the same nominal obligation.
Earlier I wondered why Avista was continuing to expand its gas business despite these lunatic “laws”. The American Gas Association was working with the plaintiffs, so Avista presumably knew how the case was going.
Polistra's Mill 