Tell the Bay Area Air District: Add Helpful Amendments to the Zero ZOx Appliance Standards
SPUR, alongside the rest of the Bay Area Clean Air (BACA) coalition is working to support implementation of the Bay Area Air District’s (BAAD) zero NOx (nitrous oxide) appliance standards, Rules 9-4 and 9-6, which are critical to protect our air and health by mandating zero-emission standards for residential furnaces and water heaters. Please join BACA to push BAAD to support adding amendments to ensure affordability and flexibility to the rules, without substantively weakening them.
How you can support:
Please submit written comments to Bay Area Air District board members by emailing ruledevelopment@baaqmd.gov. The 30-day public comment period is open until November 24, 2025. Public comment works best when you use your own words, but for inspiration, we provide a sample comment below.
I am writing to support the proposed zero-emissions changes to appliance standard Rules 9-4 and 9-6. These rules are critical to protect our air by ensuring most polluting residential furnaces and water heaters are replaced with pollution-free alternatives. While the rules will benefit from common-sense amendments to ensure flexibility for residents who need additional support to comply, it is critical that the benefits of the regulations are not lost by expanding exemptions too broadly or overly weakening the regulations in this process.
I strongly support amendments in the spirit of minimizing impact and increasing equity, yet I urge the Air District Board to avoid any changes that will unnecessarily weaken the rule’s life-saving emissions reductions. Thank you for your consideration.
Turn out to the upcoming December 10 Air District stationary source hearing. Find a registration link here. We will provide talking points to those that register.
Join the BACA supporters list to keep up with developments and action opportunities - email dylan.plummer@sierraclub.org to be added to the listserv.
Background
The Bay Area Clean Air (BACA) coalition is working to support implementation of the Bay Area Air District’s zero NOx (nitrous oxide) appliance standards, Rules 9-4 and 9-6, which are critical to protect our air and health by mandating zero-emission standards for residential furnaces and water heaters. While the air district is working on developing much needed flexibilities for residents who need additional support to comply, it is critical that the benefits of the regulations are not lost by expanding exemptions too broadly, delaying implementation, or overly weakening the regulations in this process, as happened in the South Coast Air District.
Unfortunately, there is a massive opposition and misinformation campaign underway by Republicans, oil and gas lobbyists, and realtors associations. BACA is asking for people to join them in pushing the Bay Area Air District to support adding amendments to ensure affordability and flexibility to the rules, without substantively weakening them.
The NOx ordinance would have the important effect of making all new HVAC and water heating units electric, not methane (a.k.a. “natural gas”). Methane is a major greenhouse gas, and a major component of San Francisco’s emissions. Protecting rules 9-4 and 9-6, and the suggested tweaks to the timeline to make them easier to comply with, will help us reduce our City’s contributions to global warming.
See the BACA website for more information and social media toolkits.
References
Two-pager to share for more information
https://www.sunflower-alliance.org/lets-support-zero-emission-appliance-standards-in-the-bay-area/