Fire!

It's what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

A hallmark of human civilization for more than a million years,

we've kindled up flames in our kitchen through all sorts of waste.

Coal, wood, propane, and propane accessories.

What's up, Hank Hill?

But there's one type of fuel increasingly under debate.

Natural gas. I'm Gustavo

Ariano. You're listening to The Times, Daily News from the LA Times. It's Monday, January 10,

2022. To fight climate change, more and more municipalities across the United States are banning natural gas lines from being installed in new buildings.

That means, barber, no more gas stoves.

Politicians and lawmakers in those municipalities, Berkeley, California being one of the first, are asking instead that people use electric appliances, like stove tops or even the more advanced induction

stove top.

But the natural gas industry is fighting back.

Today we talk about this multi-million dollar battle being fought between gas companies

and municipal and even state governments.

And that battle is being wage, especially in your kitchen.

That looks like a good sear. It's great. And so quick, right? I'm melting chocolate here. We're not going to touch this. I don't have to worry about it. It will never burn. I don't need a double boiler. It is protected. So, you know, induction really does a lot of work for me.

That's Orange County-based chef, Bridget Boucher, and she was talking with my colleague, Evan Halper, about how much she likes to use induction stoves.

For the past year, Evan's United States of California series has examined how the Golden State influences the rest of the country and all sorts of policy matters.

And one of those stories, he examined the war over natural gas taking place on cooking ranges.

Evan, welcome to the Times.

...