Federal courts uphold gas bans in Maryland, D.C.

Two federal courts — one in Maryland, and one in Washington, D.C. — last week upheld laws banning natural gas appliances, including HVAC and water heating equipment, in each area’s newly constructed homes by the end of this year. 

What’s happening: The decisions, issued one day apart, rejected the same legal argument made by trade associations that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), a federal appliance law, preempts local gas bans. 

• In Maryland, Judge Paula Xinis wrote that while EPCA governs appliance efficiency, labeling, and testing standards, the law, passed in Montgomery County, “touches on none of those” — and instead “prohibits a category of appliances regardless of whether they meet the efficiency or labeling standards.”
• Meanwhile, in D.C., Judge Ana Reyes said that EPCA does not prevent local or state governments from regulating energy consumption in a particular location, according to E&E News. 

Why it matters: The rulings are the latest development in an ongoing push-and-pull over gas appliance bans happening across the U.S., as Homepros previously reported, where proponents argue that such policies are necessary to reduce emissions and protect the environment, while opponents contend that they limit consumer choice and raise costs. 

What we’re watching: A federal bill — the Energy Choice Act — aimed at preventing state and local governments from imposing such bans advanced out of a House committee in December 2025 but has yet to receive a full vote.