In a controversial move, the New York City Commission is set to approve a measure which would ban the burning of natural gas in all new buildings beginning as early as 2023.  Under the proposal, buildings smaller than seven stories must rely on electricity starting at the end of 2023, and larger buildings will have an extra four years to comply.  Buildings account for 68% of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions, and most of the emissions come from the burning of natural gas.  Large cities such as New York cannot meet their greenhouse gas emission reductions without banning the burning of natural gas.  Critics of the proposal in the natural gas industry point out that such a move will simply push the burning of the natural gas to the power plants that generate the electricity which will be used to heat the city’s buildings.  For more information, please contact Phillip E. Hoover and Steve O’Day.