Thread by @adamconover

This headline from the @LATimes isn't just blatantly false and misleading; it's also the result of a years-long propaganda campaign by the fossil fuel industry to halt progress on climate change. Thread:

In May, the LA City Council passed a measure that would require electric stoves and appliances in all new construction buildings in the city. It is not a "ban." Existing homes and businesses are not affected: ONLY NEW CONSTRUCTION falls under the new rule.

This measure is an incredibly important, positive step. Natural gas is a pollutant that contributes to climate change. It's also deadly, and the largest source of indoor air pollution in homes and businesses. carbonswitch.com/how-bad-is-my-…

Electric stoves and appliances are also now just as fast and efficient as gas, and are getting cheaper all the time. That's why electrification is one of the most effective ways to fight climate change, as energy expert Saul Griffith explained to me: omny.fm/shows/factuall…

For this reason, cities across California have passed bills requiring electric appliances in new buildings - LA is just the latest. But this encouraging trend threatens to cut into the profits of for-profit gas companies. So they've launched a propaganda campaign in response.

As @sammy_roth has reported (in the @LATimes!), SoCal Gas and others have paid front groups to claim - without evidence - that electrification will harm communities of color. This despite the fact that POC are disproportionately harmed by air pollution. latimes.com/business/story…

Here's more from @hayesdavenport, documenting how the gas industry has astroturfed a campaign to portray electrification as somehow discriminatory. It's incredibly pernicious, because it uses the language of racial justice to mislead the public for profit. thelapod.com/posts/the-plan…

Back to the @LATimes piece on "the death of Korean BBQ." First, since the new rule would apply only to NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS, it's impossible for it to cause any such thing. Literally, there is not a single existing restaurant in Los Angeles that will be affected.

The piece concludes with a long quote from a chef worrying that it will cost him an arm and a leg to replace his gas stove with an electric one. Kind of weird, considering that literally no one is asking or requiring him to do that!

But more importantly, this piece has to be seen in the context of nearly a decade of astroturfing by the natural gas industry in the restaurant industry. For instance, the piece contains this money quote from the California Restaurant Association:

Why is the CRA fighting electrification? Here's a clue: they list Tiger Natural Gas as a "partner" on their website, and SoCal gas been cozying up to the CRA and other Restaurant Associations for years. Simply put, the polluters paid restaurant groups to join their fight.

Why do I know all of this? Because I read it in the @LATimes! They've reported for YEARS on how SoCal Gas and other fossil fuel companies have spread anti-electrification propaganda. Yet here they are, falling for that very same astroturfing campaign! latimes.com/opinion/story/…

To be sure, we need to work hard to make sure that POC aren't unduly burdened by the clean energy transition. But raising a false alarm about a moderate, much-needed bill doesn't do that; instead, it does material harm to public health and the fight against climate change.

Final, belated point: Many Korean BBQ restaurants use propane tanks rather than natural gas hookups for their cooking. Such usage ALSO would not be affected by the new rule, in either old OR new buildings.

Realized I somehow neglected to link to the original LA Times piece that kicked off this whole thread: Here it is. latimes.com/food/story/202…