The Gas Pipe Has A More Reliable Funding Plan Than Your Kitchen

A gas pipe can enjoy excellent institutional support long after the household has lost interest in gas. The pipe’s needs are processed through the proper channels. The household is encouraged to appreciate the investment.

Canary Media reports that California energy advocate Merrian Borgeson asked PG&E to hold off replacing her line while she electrified her home. The utility replaced it anyway. Years later, it sits unused. The infrastructure has achieved permanence; usefulness remains an optional enhancement.

A new California law allows programs that could offer eligible households money to electrify instead of replacing a gas line. The theory is sophisticated: when avoiding a purchase costs less than making it, perhaps we might avoid the purchase.

Utilities opposing the measure warn that departing customers can shift costs onto those remaining. Supporters point to savings from skipping replacement precisely when that expense arises. Regulators still have to establish the framework; approved utility programs are due by January 2028. This is not cash waiting at the counter today.

The unused pipe already exists. The administrative machinery for deciding not to install the next one will require a little more time.