CA Republicans urge Trump admin to fight state's attack on natural gas: 'It's sick'
In a letter sent to the Department of Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher and state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones urged the DOE to look at California's efforts to "ban natural gas and gas appliances" and "evaluate these actions and their impact on issues of energy sufficiency, energy independence, and national security."
"It's a sick philosophy that tells fire victims we're going to control how you build your home, we're going to tell you all the things that you can and cannot have," Gallagher told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
"This also has a lot of huge implications for the cost of living in California," Gallagher said. "Let's once and for all decide that you cannot ban gas appliances. People need these. They like having these. They're more affordable. Let's make sure that this is not going to get any further down the road."
California has intensified efforts to phase out natural gas appliances in recent years for what lawmakers claim will cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered space and water heaters by 2030, requiring homes and businesses to transition to zero-emission alternatives like electric heat pumps. The state's 2023 energy code also encourages all-electric construction, making it more costly for developers to install gas appliances.
"I hope the federal government weighs in and restores consumer choice in California," Gallagher said. "We should be able to choose whether or not we want electric or gas, and we especially need to make those choices so we can ensure that we can afford to live in this state, because right now, electricity, because of [Gov.] Gavin Newsom and the Democrats policies, has exploded the prices through the roof."
The Republicans are also requesting that the DOE "engage legally with any California jurisdiction violating EPCA [Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975] in order to enforce the federal preemption of any state or local gas bans."
"In light of these actions by a number of California state agencies, local governments, and regulatory bodies, we ask the Department of Energy to intervene where appropriate to overturn these overreaching policies," the letter stated.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has directed the DOE to implement policies to bolster natural gas production and exports. Late last month, he signed an executive order declaring a national energy emergency, which includes measures to enhance domestic energy production.
"Expanding consumer choice and removing burdensome restrictions on household appliances is a key component of President Trump's agenda for reducing costs for the American people," DOE spokesperson Ben Dietderich told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
While California — which has been a beacon of progressive environmental policies for other liberal states — participates in the federal government's Appliance Standards Program, in some cases, the state's stringent standards exceed federal requirements. Dietderich said the department is "conducting a comprehensive review and is working to advance a commonsense approach that prioritizes affordability and choice for all Americans" when asked about the California Republicans' letter.
"Any standards should include a cost-benefit analysis considering the upfront cost of purchasing new products and reflecting actual cost savings for American families," Wright said in a statement last week while announcing his first secretarial order.
More than 70 cities in the Golden State, starting with Berkeley in 2019, enacted local ordinances prohibiting natural gas hookups in new buildings. However, a 2024 federal court ruling overturned Berkeley's ban, prompting some municipalities to reconsider their policies. Meanwhile, the state legislature passed a bill requiring warning labels on gas stoves, citing health risks linked to indoor emissions. If signed into law, California would become the first state to ban gas appliances.
And California's Democratic majority has the backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In recent years, Newsom signed laws restricting new oil and gas wells near certain sites and signed off on neighborhoods to transition to all-electric systems. Additionally, in December 2024, state regulators approved a plan to reduce reliance on a major natural gas storage facility.
In a recent interview with CNN's Pamela Brown earlier this month, Newsom said homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires "can't rebuild the same, so we have to rebuild with science, we have to rebuild with a climate reality in mind […]."
Fox News Digital did not hear back from Newsom's office by time of publication.
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