Dozens of comments opposing a Bay Area plan to phase out gas water heaters appeared to be grassroots pushback from concerned residents. But at least 85 of them were actually sent by an AI software company, and some of the people whose names appeared on the letters said they never approved them.
Here's what to know
The dispute centers on a Bay Area Air District proposal meant to shift households from older gas water heaters to electric heat pumps. As DeSmog reported, the campaign against the rule was backed by the Bay Area Council, which received about $150,000 from Chevron in the second quarter of 2026 while advocating for more stringent socioeconomic review of upcoming rules before the air board.
The council also launched a Common Sense Coalition website in November 2025 warning that the Bay Area's cost of living was already unbearable. The site hosted a form letter that read, "I'm a real person struggling with the price of utilities and gas. This was not written with AI. I write with an urgent request: get a hold of rising bills and surprise fees for families by requiring transparency before new rules take effect — starting with Rule 9-6, the new water heater regulation now in front of the board."
The board's decision matters beyond the Bay Area because the proposal would set a new precedent. If approved, the standards would gradually replace gas water heaters with electric models in 2.8 million Bay Area households and could help shape similar efforts elsewhere, including Maryland, where similar regulations are coming together, according to DeSmog.
The San Francisco Chronicle said in March that it had reached people listed on forms submitted through the software campaign, and 10 said they had not authorized the emails. The council has disputed that AI was used to send the forms.
More background
The Bay Area Air District estimated that the transition could reduce regional utility bills by nearly $10 million a year. The air district also estimated the rule would eliminate 3,236 tons of nitrogen oxide pollution annually and prevent 37 to 85 premature deaths each year.
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Because Chevron runs a refinery in Richmond, it is subject to regulation by the same air district; it is also the state's largest oil-and-gas producer. DeSmog reported that Chevron settled 678 violations at its Richmond refinery for $20 million in 2024, and that the district later imposed a separate $900,000 penalty in December 2025 over inadequate emissions monitoring.
Tony Sirna of Evergreen Action, identified by DeSmog as the group's deputy policy director for buildings, said the council's push for more socioeconomic studies could make future clean-air rules "onerous and therefore harder for the air district to instate."
What's being done?
Air district staff issued recommendations on July 8 to delay the rule by a year, moving the proposed implementation date from January 2027 to January 2028, DeSmog reported. A final vote is expected in November 2026.
Regulators have also addressed the larger question of how such rules should be evaluated. In September, the air board approved a policy that "set standards and metrics to ensure consistency for analyses conducted beyond the minimum statutory requirements and documents standards of transparency."
The California Air Resources Board is developing statewide water-heater standards that would gradually introduce zero-emission limits starting in 2030, keeping the issue active even as the Bay Area vote remains unresolved.
Where can I learn more?
This dispute is part of a wider fight over gas phaseouts, AI, and public pressure in energy policy. These articles cover related clashes over Bay Area appliance rules, California climate politics, natural gas lobbying, and AI-linked environmental concerns.
• In the Bay Area, the gas appliance rule debate intensified as officials reconsidered a phaseout.
• A federal lawsuit alleged AI fueled a California gas-pricing conspiracy at 1,700 stations.
• In Sacramento, lawmakers defended state climate programs amid deficit fights over pollution cuts.
• In Louisiana, energy experts challenged a bill pushing for natural gas expansion.
• In New Mexico, officials weighed data center moratorium over AI's water and air impacts.
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