New York, May 3 (EFE).- The state of New York will become the first in the United States to ban the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels in new buildings, a measure that seeks to reduce polluting emissions.
The decision was approved by the state legislature on Tuesday night as part of the next budget agreement and is only pending final adoption of the signature of the governor, Kathy Hochul, which is taken for granted.
The ban on natural gas and other fossil fuels will take effect in 2026 for new buildings with seven floors or less and in 2029 for taller ones.
The measure will affect some commercial properties such as office buildings, but not others such as factories, hospitals or restaurants, for example.
Although New York will be the first state with such a ban, several locations across the country have already passed similar measures, including New York City itself, and building codes are being used elsewhere to fuel the jump to electric. .
According to official data, three out of five homes in the state of New York currently use natural gas for heating, while stoves that use that fuel are also very common.
This year, comments by a federal government official sparked fierce controversy in the United States over the possibility of imposing a nationwide ban on gas cookers, an idea dismissed by the White House but which led several states governed by the Republican Party to take action.
In a television interview, the governor of New York wanted to make it clear today that no one will have to give up their gas stove, but that the measure simply seeks to initiate a transition in new buildings so that they bet on electricity or pumps heat.
