Berkeley, the San Francisco Bay Area city long known for progressive politics, banned the use of natural gas in most new buildings as part of its efforts to fight global warming.
The unanimous vote by the Berkeley City Council July 16 makes it the first place in the U.S. to ban gas outright, the measure’s sponsor said.
It comes as environmentalists and lawmakers from the U.K. to the Netherlands to New York push to eliminate fossil fuels from home heating and cooking.
Berkeley’s ban is scheduled to take effect next year. It will allow for exemptions that city officials deem ...