By BARBARA SIMPSON
In the event you haven’t kept up to date on what is happening in California as concerns the use of electricity for just about everything — heads up!
Residents of that state had best pay attention because the new regulations will apply to them in one way or another. As for people living in other states, they should also pay attention because if history plays out, what starts on the West Coast — spreads!
The new regulations are coming from both the state and local jurisdictions. Two recent rules reflect that.
The state is continuing to push the use of electric vehicles, whether for domestic use by residents or by commercial operations.
It was reported in The Wall Street Journal that the state plans to impose an electric truck mandate which would require shipping companies to use electric trucks at the port facilities in the state.
CARB — the California Air Resources Board — is proposing to phase out older, big rigs and require new ones to be powered by clean fuels — read that, electric. This would begin in 2024 and by 2025, all trucks with more than 800,000 miles on them would be banned.
The problem with this plan, according to the truckers, is that they can’t meet the deadline because the infrastructure to charge the vehicles doesn’t exist. According to Matt Schrap, chief executive of the Harbor Trucking Association, which represents thousands of truckers, the charging infrastructure barely exists today, and it would take years to build.
But keep in mind, that when it does, it will increase the cost of the merchandise that those trucks transport from the port to your local businesses.
The shortage of charging stations also applies to domestic use. It was earlier this year that the state advised owners of electric vehicles not to charge them afternoons and evenings during the heat wave.
Why? Because the state does not have the infrastructure to handle the demand — and that is now! What will happen when the state hits the 2035 deadline set by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) when it will be illegal to sell most gas-powered passenger vehicles. His goal is to require people to have electric cars — BUT — how to power them. That hasn’t been answered.
As a result, CARB and the state are scrambling for a way to get the infrastructure built but realistically, no one knows how that would work and when it would become operational. The average Californian and businesses are stuck in the middle.
Lest you think that the quandary concerning electricity supplies only applies to vehicles — think again. The requirement for the use of electricity in residential properties is spreading across the state — city by city — under the guise of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The most recent one I saw applies to Marin County in northern California. According to a unanimously approved ordinance by supervisors, all new residential and commercial construction in the county must be all electric. This is scheduled to begin next year.
The ordinance also aims to cut the use of natural gas in construction and remodeling, in addition to requiring the installation of EV charging stations in multifamily housing.
The county says it is not requiring all electric for renovations or remodels of existing buildings — at this time. But given the approach of elected officials, it would seem that those kinds of restrictions are in the future. It’s just a matter of time.
The new regulations do not apply to requiring the replacement of all appliances with electric ones although Ken Strong summarized a point of view that is prevalent. He’s a member of the Marin Conservation League’s climate action working group.
He said, “We would certainly like to see the county move forward next year and look at how we can start incentivizing people to replace gas appliances when it’s time.”
Essentially what that means is that residents will be required to replace gas furnaces, hot water heaters, air conditioners, and other appliances with electric units, when the time comes for their replacement.
He calls it’ “incentivizing” people. I call it “requiring” people to do what the country demands. Residents will not have a choice. This has happened before in other locales. When it happens in Marin County, they will not be the first.
And there’s more. The new ordinance surpasses state requirements for EV charging stations. It requires that 15 percent of new multi-family units with parking spaces have level 2 charging stations.
The state only required 5 percent of such units to be so equipped.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the county is working to convince other communities in Marin to take the same action concerning these issues.
The one issue that is not addressed is what these requirements will cost the builders of such structures — whether they are commercial builders or individuals who are building their own homes or remodeling existing structures.
I think it can easily be concluded that, overall, these rules and regulations will increase the cost of housing and even of commercial structures in Marin County. And as it starts there, it will spread across California, pleasing the governor — and from there, into other states.
All I can say, is watch out and hang on to your wallet!
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