CALIFORNIA — The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit Monday against two California cities, seeking to block local ordinances that restrict the use of natural gas infrastructure and gas-powered appliances in new residential construction.
The lawsuit, brought by the Justice Department in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, targets ordinances adopted by the Bay Area cities of Morgan Hill and Petaluma beginning in 2019. Federal attorneys argue the local laws violate a 1975 federal statute that bars states and municipalities from regulating the energy use of products already subject to national efficiency standards.
According to the complaint, the administration contends that the gas restrictions unlawfully interfere with federal authority and impose significant costs on residents. The filing describes the ordinances as “natural gas bans” that exceed local governments’ legal powers under federal law.
The case represents the latest escalation in a broader Republican-led effort to push back against state and local climate policies designed to curb fossil fuel use. California, long a leader in aggressive climate regulation, has seen dozens of municipalities restrict new gas hookups as part of broader decarbonization strategies.
In 2023, a federal appeals court ruled that Berkeley could not enforce its own 2019 natural gas ban, a decision that has shaped similar legal challenges nationwide. Since then, more than 70 U.S. cities have adopted some form of restriction on gas infrastructure in new buildings.
Officials from Petaluma and Morgan Hill declined immediate comment. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have not yet responded publicly. Both cities have recently joined other lawsuits opposing Trump administration policies related to funding conditions and sanctuary jurisdiction enforcement.
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