Chloe Zilliac, chloe@sunstonestrategies.org
Sander Kushen, sander.kushen@sierraclub.org
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Long Beach City Council voted unanimously last night to approve a resolution in support of new healthy air standards for furnaces and water heaters proposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The standards would require appliance manufacturers to gradually increase the sale of pollution-free technologies like heat pumps within the agency's jurisdiction, which includes Orange county and the urban parts of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This action follows a similar resolution passed by the Los Angeles City Council earlier this month, meaning that the region’s two largest cities are on record supporting these critical health measures.
"Long Beach residents suffer from some of the worst air quality in the country,” said Pete Marsh, owner of Vector Green Power. “Our city leaders are stepping up to support commonsense policy that will reduce smog-forming pollution from fossil fuel furnaces and water heaters. This is a victory for clean air."
More than 17 million residents in the South Coast Air Basin breathe some of the dirtiest air in the nation. The South Coast region has consistently failed to meet federal and state air quality standards for more than 30 years. Gas-burning equipment in residential and commercial buildings generates seven times more smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution than the region's power plants and is responsible for approximately 76,000 asthma attacks, 30,000 lost school days, and 130 premature deaths annually.
“As the federal government rolls back environmental protections and gives hand-outs to polluters, it's encouraging to see both Long Beach and Los Angeles taking these important votes to support air quality and public health,” said Nihal Shrinath, Staff Attorney at Sierra Club. “The City Council is responding to a community tired of breathing the nation's most polluted air and watching its children develop asthma.”
Under the proposed SCAQMD standards, manufacturers would need to meet increasing zero-emission sales targets over time, starting at 30% clean heating technologies in 2027-2028 and reaching 90% by 2036. The standards include mitigation fees that manufacturers must pay when selling polluting appliances, creating a sustained funding source for SCAQMD's Go Zero heat pump incentive program. This program ensures an equitable transition by allocating 75% of funding to overburdened communities.
Heat pumps provide both heating and cooling from a single highly efficient unit, offering crucial cooling access for the many Southern California households that currently lack air conditioning while boosting energy efficiency and improving air quality.
The SCAQMD plans to vote on the proposed standards in May.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.