Trump officials sue California cities over laws to restrict fossil fuels

Suit against San Francisco-area cities Petaluma and Morgan Hill latest attack on policies that seek to rein in oil and gas

The Trump administration sued two California cities on Monday, seeking to block local laws that restrict natural gas infrastructure and appliances in new construction.

The lawsuit is the administration’s latest attack on energy policies that seek to rein in the use of fossil fuels to combat the climate crisis. California, a Democratic stronghold, has among the most aggressive climate change policies in the world.

Republicans, including Donald Trump, for years have attacked local Democratic efforts to limit gas-powered appliances.

In the complaint filed in US district court in the northern district of California, justice department attorneys alleged that ordinances passed by the San Francisco-area cities of Morgan Hill and Petaluma since 2019 violated a 1975 law that prevents states and cities from regulating the “energy use” of products subject to federal standards.

“The natural gas bans not only impose crushing costs on California residents but are also unlawful,” the complaint said.

Since 2019, dozens of US municipalities have enacted ordinances that restrict natural gas hookups. A federal appeals court in 2023 ruled that the city of Berkeley could not enforce its 2019 natural gas ban.

The city manager of Petaluma, Peggy Flynn, said in an email that the city had no immediate comment. Morgan Hill officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

California governor Gavin Newsom and state attorney general Rob Bonta have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

In July, the city joined several other counties, including Santa Clara county, where Morgan Hill is located, in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over funding restrictions that would disqualify applicants the Trump administration deems out of step with their positions on issues like DEI and reproductive rights.

That same month, both locales joined a separate lawsuit – alongside more than 30 other Bay Area cities and counties – to challenge Trump’s actions on sanctuary jurisdictions.

Cover photo:  California has some of the most progressive climate change policies in the world. Photograph: Chris Carlson/AP