BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The City of Bakersfield’s plan that would ban gas stoves in new construction is dead — at least, for now — after a huge pushback from the community.
The public feedback portion of the plan ended Aug. 31, and because of that feedback, the city of Bakersfield has decided to put the brakes on the plan.
City manager Christian Clegg sent a memo to the council saying the city “will not move forward with the Climate Action Plan as initially anticipated”, but also said the stall will just cost more time and money because of state energy mandates coming soon.
“There could be a little bit of an additional cost that is going to be part of taking more time to do more study,” Clegg told 17 News. “But, we don’t see significant changes in the overall aspect of the plan.”
Clegg said city staff will be providing written responses to comments and frequently asked questions over the next six months. Then, the data is going to city council for final review.
Clegg also said the planning commission will now conduct a new feasibility study to address the outpouring concerns about Bakersfield’s main economic driver — oil and gas — while simultaneously aiming for economic diversity through the path of clean energy.
“There are thousands and thousands that depend on agriculture, that depend on traditional oil and gas. So, we fight for those industries everyday,” said Clegg. “At the same time, we’re also being thoughtful about seeing the future of an even more robust economy that continues to evolve our existing industries.”
17’s Rob Hagan will continue to follow the city of Bakersfield’s next steps in the Climate Action Plan.
