Dear Mayor Combs and Council Members
My name is Robert Shimp and I am a long time Menlo Park resident and homeowner. After hearing about the proposed climate action plan to reduce the usage of natural gas appliances, I want to express some support and some concern about how this plan might be implemented.
Our city should be constantly looking at ways to reduce our greenhouse emissions. However, moving to a total ban on all natural gas appliances, especially retrofitting existing homes when repairs are needed or at time of sale, should be carefully thought out.
For example, will outdoor gas grills be banned? I'm not aware of any electric replacements for the typical large grill. Forcing removal of gas grills might lead to the unintended consequence of greater use of charcoal grills, which I think generate a lot more air pollution. Or would we ban charcoal grills too? No barbeque on the Fourth of July in Menlo Park? That seems a bit excessive.
Some gas appliances, such as hot water heaters, can be swapped at a reasonable price without any difference in the quality of experience. But this is not true for all gas appliances. There are reasons that many cooks specifically choose gas stove tops over electric. Similarly, an electric fireplace does not offer the same experience as a gas fireplace for most homeowners. In these cases I think it's reasonable to ban these gas appliances in new construction but existing homes built around these appliances -- especially fireplaces -- should be allowed to continue.
Menlo Park can and should reduce its carbon footprint but investments made in existing homes ought to be taken into consideration. A ban on usage in new construction and a move to replace gas hot water heaters is reasonable and can make a significant difference. I would stop there and see how much we improve before taking further steps that create additional cost and disruption for homeowners.
Sincerely,
Robert Shimp
