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Comment 3 for Informal Public Comments on the Draft 2022 State SIP Strategy (draft2022statesip-ws) - 1st Workshop.


First Name: Katharine
Last Name: Bierce
Email Address: KBadvocating@gmail.com
Affiliation: California resident

Subject: Please support electrification to help decarbonize buildings
Comment:
Dear CA Air Resource Board members,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the 2022 State
Implementation Plan. I am excited to hear about the proposal for
zero-GHG emission space and water heaters. 

I moved to California nine years ago. It used to rain in the fall,
around September to March every year. As climate change is causing
more severe weather impacts, there are more fires in the fall,
making air quality honestly really crappy sometimes. It makes me
want to consider moving away from California, even though I have a
community and a great job here.

We need to do all we can to improve air quality and that means
fighting climate change. 
There are important climate benefits to moving away from natural
gas. California's homes and buildings are responsible for more than
a quarter of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. The latest
studies show that building electrification can reduce those
emissions up to 90% by 2050. Every time a new home is connected to
the gas system, we are expanding the use of gas--a move that is
incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius,
according to a landmark study from the United Nations. To avoid the
most catastrophic consequences of climate change, it is necessary
to phase out gas in new construction nationwide.

But that's not all. There are substantial health benefits to
removing natural gas from homes and businesses. Gas stoves fill
homes with many of the same pollutants contained in car exhaust,
leading to air pollution levels in many homes that would be illegal
if measured outside. Children are particularly at risk. Kids living
in a home with a gas stove are 42% more likely to have asthma, a
dangerous health condition that costs Californians more than $11
billion annually.

Gas appliances release harmful pollutants like NOx that endangers
human health and the environment. All major gas appliances in our
homes have zero-emission counterparts on the market: heat pump
water heaters, air source heat pumps, induction cooktops, and
electric dryers. Replacing gas furnaces with electric heat pumps
also adds air conditioning, since heat pumps can both heat and cool
buildings. Upgrading homes with air conditioning (which cools and
filters air) helps protect vulnerable populations from extreme heat
events and poor air quality during wildfire season. I recognize
that this transition will be complicated and ask that we plan for
an equitable, affordable transition to zero-GHG emission
appliances.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,

Katharine Bierce

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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2022-02-23 18:19:53



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