American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2019 - 17

IndustryDigest
protections, and that BLM's
environmental impact analysis failed to
comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act requirements
to consider reasonable alternatives or
analyze cumulative impacts, IPAA says.
"There is a serious issue in this case
whether the BLM neglected to evaluate
a serious environmental consequence
or failed to consider an important
factor-that is, whether the BLM based
its reduction on protections for the
sage grouse on something other than
merely a desire to adopt state plans,"
Winmill wrote. ❒

Restaurant Association
Sues Berkeley Over
City's Natural Gas Ban
BERKELEY, CA.-The California
Restaurant Association (CRA) is suing
the city of Berkeley, claiming its
upcoming ban on new natural gas
connections violates state and federal
laws, is an unlawful use of the police

power to amend state building codes
and will hurt the restaurant industry.
The Berkeley City Council passed its
ban on natural gas infrastructure in
newly constructed buildings on July 16;
it goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020.
According to media reports, the law will
only apply to building types that have
been analyzed by the California Energy
Commission. Gas may be allowed in
some projects, if the applicant can
demonstrate it is unfeasible to construct
the building without it, but it must be
designed to be able to convert to
electricity in the future.
"The CRA filed the lawsuit to
protect Berkeley's businesses and
consumers from bearing the brunt of
higher energy costs, as well as ensure
the city's vibrant culinary community is
able to continue preparing and serving
the food it has become well-known for,"
the association says.
In addition to negative impacts on food
preparation, including searing steaks,
charring vegetables or stir-frying noodles,
CRA predicts the ban will harm

restaurants economically, including
prohibiting them from using natural gas to
heat water and their buildings. According
to the association, the city action won't
merely change the way restaurant
kitchens cook, but will affect buildings'
appliances and energy systems, escalating
already-high energy costs.
The association also raises
questions of how the natural gas ban
will exacerbate the impact of the
ongoing planned electricity blackouts
in California meant to prevent
wildfires. It asserts that with the state's
energy grid often under tremendous
strain, a ban on gas appliances is
irresponsible, and its impact will not
be limited to restaurants.
"We believe that the Berkeley ban
represents the start of efforts to ban or
severely restrict all natural gas use,"
warns Jot Condie, CRA's president and
chief executive officer. "It's impossible
to overstate how irresponsible this is at
a time when millions of Californians
find themselves in the dark because of
planned power outages." ❒

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DECEMBER 2019 17
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2019
