RESOLUTION NO. 2025-011
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FONTANA, CALIFORNIA OPPOSING SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT RULES 1111 AND 1121 WHEREAS, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is a regional air pollution control agency representing Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties with responsibility for regulating stationary sources of air pollution; and WHEREAS, the SCAQMD is considering two rules that would have a significant impact on up to 17 million South Coast homeowners, renters, and businesses: Rule 1111, which would regulate air emissions from gas-powered central furnaces, and Rule 1121, which would regulate air emissions from residential-type, natural gas-powered water heaters; and WHEREAS, Rules 1111 and 1121 would impose over $20 billion in costs to consumers while providing minimal measurable air quality benefits for the four-county SCAQMD service area; and WHEREAS, these two rules would ban the use of natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters in new construction, taking effect in 2026, further elevating construction costs and housing prices, thereby putting homeownership even further out of reach for many Southern Californians, and would phase out existing natural gas furnaces and water heaters in existing single-family homes, multi-family housing, and businesses by 2027; and WHEREAS, housing affordability throughout California is and will remain a top public policy priority for the City of Fontana for the foreseeable future, as local governments are being pressured to build more housing, specifically housing that people can afford, and any regulations that increase these costs deserve careful scrutiny to ensure that the increased costs are met with an equal or greater amount of benefit to the consumer; and WHEREAS, unlike most SCAQMD rules that regulate large stationary sources of air pollution like oil refineries and warehouses, Rules 1111 and 1121 specifically target individual homeowners, apartment buildings, and businesses large and small, meaning that the costs of these two rules will be directly borne by hard-working families and business owners; and WHEREAS, Rules 1111 and 1121 would require apartment owners, homeowners, and businesses to invest not only in expensive all-electric furnaces and water heaters but would also necessitate that they retrofit homes and businesses with expensive electrical panel upgrades, extensive new plumbing, and physical renovations to accommodate compliant units, further raising the cost of new housing and likely pricing many potential homeowners and renters out of an already expensive market; and WHEREAS, for apartment owners, the mandate to replace natural gas water heaters and furnaces with all-electric units is incredibly expensive, and these significant costs will be passed down to tenants, leading to rent increases and placing additional financial pressure on renters in a region already struggling with housing affordability; and WHEREAS, the SCAQMD’s water heater and furnace mandates will impose a significant increase in electricity demand on California’s electric grid, as transitioning to all-electric water heaters and furnaces means increased demand on an electric grid that has not proven capable of consistently meeting existing demand, thus increasing the risk of power brownouts or outages and WHEREAS, Southern California relies heavily on Southern California Edison (SCE) for electricity, and during high wind events, Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) frequently result in widespread power outages, leaving residents and businesses without reliable energy; and WHEREAS, reducing dependence on a single energy source and maintaining a diverse energy portfolio that includes natural gas is crucial for ensuring energy reliability, particularly in high wind conditions when electric service interruptions are most frequent; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Fontana does hereby resolve as follows:
Section 1. Rules 1111 and 1121 will have a profound impact and impose significant costs on millions of Southern California homeowners, renters, and businesses who are already struggling to make ends meet while providing minimal air quality benefit.
Section 2. The City of Fontana opposes Proposed Amended Rules 1111 and 1121 and urges the SCAQMD to indefinitely delay or cease consideration of these two anti-consumer regulations immediately.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 11th day of February 2025.
READ AND APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM:
_______________________________
City Attorney
I, Germaine Key, City Clerk of the City of Fontana, and Ex-Officio Clerk of the City Council, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is the actual resolution duly and regularly adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting on the 11th day of February, 2025, by the following vote to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_______________________________
City Clerk of the City of Fontana
_______________________________
Mayor of the City of Fontana
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
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Resolution No. 2025-011