A federal judge has left Denver's limits on gas appliances in place, turning back a lawsuit from trade groups representing restaurants and homebuilders.
The ruling adds momentum to the larger legal fight over whether cities can move away from gas-powered equipment in homes and commercial spaces.
Here's what to know
Judge Philip Brimmer dismissed the case on August 7 after several trade groups, including the Restaurant Law Center and the National Association of Home Builders, sued the city of Denver in July 2024 over ordinances restricting gas appliances, Legal Newsline reported.
The environmental advocacy group, the Sierra Club, joined Denver in the legal fight with the trade groups. The Sierra Club both called the trade groups' challenge "baseless" and suggested that previous building standards had been shaped by these same corporate interests, per Kiowa County Press.
Emma Hardy, an attorney with Earthjustice, said of the dismissal that "this decision correctly recognizes that Denver and other local governments have authority to regulate the use of polluting gas appliances in homes and buildings."
Hardy went on to explain that, "The court in Colorado joined numerous other courts across the country that have recently recognized that federal law does not prevent states and local governments from adopting laws that encourage building electrification and limit the use of certain gas appliances for space and water heating," per Legal Newsline.
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More background
The ruling suggests that local governments may still have room to shape building policy and discourage energy rules that endanger the habitability of our planet.
These debates affect the type of water heater or furnace installed in a building and how future renovations are planned. Because building codes often become models for other communities, when one city successfully defends an electrification rule, it can offer a roadmap to others considering similar policies.
Electrification rules are likely to remain an active part of local housing and development policy debates. And trade groups are still pressing the argument that energy policy should be set nationally, so more lawsuits may be on the way.
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