Berkeley Agrees to Repeal Natural Gas Ban Per Settlement (1)

The California Restaurant Association and Berkeley, Calif., have reached a settlement in litigation challenging the city’s natural gas ban that will require repeal of the ordinance.

The parties told the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday that they need time to finalize and implement the agreement. The process of repealing the natural gas ordinance will take several months, so the parties are asking the court to hold the case in abeyance until Sept. 10.

The CRA had challenged the ordinance—which required appliances in newly constructed buildings to be electric—saying it’s preempted by the federal Energy ...