No More Natural Gas
Mayor Brandon has made the decision to ban all-natural gas from the city of Chicago. This decision was made in efforts to reduce carbon emissions in order to become more eco-friendly. However, this change would only be made in new buildings and homes that are under construction. Other big cities such as New York and Los Angeles, had already made the change as well.
Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether this choice is going to be successful. While this plan has gained a lot of supporters, many others are not happy with this idea. There are people against this that are worried that it will be more expensive and less reliable. Nonetheless, this is still not a set plan since Mayor Brandon Johnson will need to discuss it with the City Council sometime today.
Angela Tovar, Commissioner of the Department of Environment is absolutely happy with the plan and is very supportive of it. She praised the idea as it will be a very progressive first step into combatting climate change. This gas ban will bring down energy costs and reduce toxic emissions that are harmful to the planet. “It is our responsibility to implement policy initiatives that enable a just transition to a clean energy future,” Tovar said.
For The Better or Worse?
“Too many Chicagoans are having trouble paying their gas bills, and too many families are exposed to chemicals that cause cancer and asthma when burning gas in their kitchens,” states the mayor. It was not a surprise that Mayor Johnson would make this plan as he is known for his support in environmental justice and climate change.
If this law is passed, it would become Johnson’s first progressive movement victory for the new year. The first thing that the mayor would ban would be the gas stoves. The Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance has said that this ban would require all new buildings to be made impossible for natural gas to be used in them. This is a big step into becoming a more environmentally friendly city.
However, it does come with some negatives. Powerhouse Unions are trying to fight this ban alongside other groups such as Building Industry Association and more. Alderman Gilbert Villegas is highly opposed to this ban. He has recently called for a more in-depth investigation about this ban. Him, and many other critics, have said this ban will cause a high raise in energy prices and will have low reliability. He brought up how during the winter storm, about 150 thousand ComEd customers lost electricity. “Now is the worst possible time to hastily slam through an ordinance without examining its true cost, infrastructure requirements and, most importantly, hearing from residents.” said Villegas.
Waiting For a Response
Mayor Johnson is introducing the idea today to the City Council. However there has not been an update on what the plan will be. This is a good plan when it comes to helping the environment around us. It will make a big change for the good. However, it will also affect people’s pockets since this will mean energy will become more expensive. It is also likely to fail whenever there is any sort of storm. This proposal has 15 co-sponsors so far.
Although people are against this because of the negative impact it will have, more people are in favor of it. This means it is very likely that this ban will become true. Nothing is certain as of right now, but it is looking like it will happen. “It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen, y’all. We’re going to have to change.” Said Angela Tovar.
