California city becomes first in US to ban new gas stations
Petaluma, California, a city of 61,000 inhabitants and 20 square kilometers, has become the first city in the United States to permanently ban the installation of new gas stations.
The municipality will also prohibit expansions at existing stations and expedite the process to add more infrastructure for electric vehicles, such as electric charging bays and hydrogen fuel cell facilities.
The new ban is part of Petaluma's plan to completely eliminate carbon emissions by 2030. Environmental groups such as CONGAS (Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations) are pushing for a ban in all of Sonoma County, which includes other eight cities.
"The goal here is to get away from fossil fuels and make it as easy as possible," said D'Lynda Fischer, the city councilwoman who introduced the measure. "Right now, we have existing fossil fuel stations, and what we want them to do is add chargers [for electric vehicles] and create another fuel source that people can use."
From a more global perspective, it is estimated that there are 450,000 brownfield sites in the United States, or areas of expansion, development, or reuse that may be compromised by the presence of a hazardous substance.
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), about half of them are believed to be affected by oil, largely due to leaks from underground storage tanks at old service stations. The sites "bruise surrounding neighborhoods, threaten human health and the environment, and can contaminate groundwater."
While this movement is taking place at the citizen level, there are other developments happening at the state level in California. Last year, the state banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and will require 75% of heavy-duty trucks sold locally to be electric by then.
There are also plans to build an electric highway along the Pacific coast. A number of policies are in the works at the federal level, such as the Biden administration's $2T climate and infrastructure plan, which could boost renewable energy and other sustainable actions.
