Column: The Los Angeles fires are no excuse to slow down on clean energy

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1. Hey all, hope you’ll read my latest L.A. Times column and let me know what you think. Here’s how it starts:

   >*If we want to build a safer future for Los Angeles, we can’t keep repeating the mistakes of the past.*

   >*So I was disappointed to learn that shortly after the Palisades fire broke out, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a crucial clean energy requirement for new homes, in a misguided effort to help Angelenos build back — a mistake that could soon be repeated by state officials, paving the way for a continued cycle of more destructive blazes.*

   >*As part of a wide-ranging order to help people rebuild their burned homes, Bass suspended a city requirement that new construction be all-electric. Unless she changes course, many builders will default to gas furnaces and water heaters — instead of more efficient electric heat pumps that don’t use planet-warming fossil fuels.*

   >*The more fossil fuels people burn, the more likely it is that L.A. will keep suffering catastrophic fires.*

   >*Bass described her order as “the first step in clearing away red tape and bureaucracy” to expedite rebuilding. But there’s no reason to believe suspending the all-electric rule will make things faster — or substantially cheaper.*

   >*In fact, there’s strong evidence that all-electric homes can save families money.*

   Again, I hope you’ll read the whole piece and let me know what you think. If you’re interested, you can sign up for my twice-weekly Boiling Point newsletter at [latimes.com/boilingpoint](http://latimes.com/boilingpoint)

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