Milpitas officials ban natural gas in new buildings

Milpitas is the latest Silicon Valley city to ban natural gas in all new buildings, disregarding attempts from a local energy company to score an exemption.

The Milpitas City Council approved two policies Tuesday to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Councilmembers unanimously approved a policy requiring more electric vehicle charging stations around the city, but were split 3-2 on a plan to impose an all-electric mandate on new construction for homes and commercial spaces. Mayor Carmen Montano and Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua voted against dropping a requirement for future renovations of existing buildings to retrofit from natural gas to electric.