This week in buildings, land and industry news, NetZero Insider’s Elaine Goodman has the details on Washington’s efforts to link its state “cap-and-invest” program with the joint cap-and-trade auctions run by California and Quebec. The move should create a more standardized carbon allowance trading system across the three North American jurisdictions, while also boosting liquidity across the joint markets. California and Quebec have been running joint auctions for over a decade, while Washington’s cap-and-invest program launched in 2023.

A federal judge threw out a challenge to a New York City rule that would ban natural gas hookups in new buildings, as Wired reported. The ruling is the first to contradict a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found a gas ban in Berkeley, Calif., overstepped municipal authority. New York’s is based on carbon pollution targets that are too low for gas appliances, while the Berkeley law banned natural gas pipelines altogether, but the differing decisions will need to be rectified and could give new life to similar policies after many were withdrawn following the 9th Circuit’s decision. 

The issue of natural gas bans continues to be litigated around the country, with Bloomberg Law reporting on a challenge to similar rules proposed in Montgomery County, Md. The challenge coming from real estate and construction interests argues that the law is preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The suit cites the 9th Circuit’s reasoning in the Berkeley case. 

Duke Energy Ohio withdrew its energy efficiency plan in settlement talks with other parties before the PUC of Ohio, Canary Media reported. The move follows a 2019 law that bailed out nuclear and coal units (and felled senior legislators and FirstEnergy executives in a related bribery scandal) along with ending requirements that utilities invest in efficiency. Initially, Duke proposed spending $75 million to save about $126 million across three years, and its settlement slashes efficiency spending to $2.4 million annually aimed at low-income customers. 

Read other stories in this week’s Intelligence Report: