Eugene withdraws ban on natural gas hookups

Earlier this year, Eugene became the first city in Oregon to effectively ban natural gas appliances in new residential construction. Gas utility NW Natural and others pushed back and were able to get the ordinance referred to the November ballot for voters to either affirm or overturn. But recently, the Eugene City Council repealed the ordinance following a federal appeals court ruling that overturned a similar ban in Berkeley, California. The ruling could impact cities across the 9th Circuit, which includes Oregon, Washington and California.

Joining us to explain those impacts is Amy Turner, director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative at Columbia Law School. We’re also joined by Emily Semple, the Eugene city councilor who originally introduced the natural gas ban, to talk about what’s next for the city’s climate change goals.