DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — Air quality regulators in Southern California earlier this month voted 7 to 5 to reject proposed rules that would have curbed harmful emissions from gas-powered furnaces and water heaters. But the majority voted to send the rules back to the committee to be changed and reconsidered.

The proposal aimed to reduce emissions of smog-contributing nitrogen oxides, also called NOx. They are a group of pollutants linked to respiratory issues, asthma attacks, worse allergies, decreased lung function in children, premature death and more. Burning natural gas is also one of the primary drivers of climate change.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District estimates that the proposed rules would have lowered NOx emissions from gas-fired furnaces, preventing about 2,490 premature deaths and 10,200 new asthma cases over a 26-year period in the region. The district regulates air quality for 16.8 million people in Southern California, including all of Orange County and large areas of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties — one of the smoggiest areas in the U.S.

The board received more than 30,000 written comments ahead of the vote, including a letter from U.S. Attorney Bilal “Bill” Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, in which he threatened to sue the board if it adopted the proposed rules.

“California regulators are on notice: if you pass illegal bans or penalties on gas appliances, we’ll see you in court,” he posted Thursday on the social platform X. “The law is clear—feds set energy policy, not unelected climate bureaucrats.”

Before the vote, board member Janet Nguyen, who serves on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, echoed opponents’ concerns that the rules would financially burden people.

“I, like everybody here, support clean air,” she said. “These rules don’t target refineries or shopping ports. They target people — the 17 million homeowners, renters, seniors and small businesses.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who supported the proposed rules, said, “If we don’t start now, when will we effect any change?”

California is moving aggressively to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels ahead of a 2045 mandate for the state to have net-zero carbon emissions. California often sets or proposes stricter environmental standards than the rest of the country, such as a bid to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

The proposed rules would have set targets aiming to phase out the sale of gas-powered furnaces and water heaters starting in 2027. It would not have applied to gas stoves. The sales target would have started at 30 percent, then grown to 50 percent in 2029 and ended at 90 percent in 2039. The rules would not have been mandated, but manufacturers would have had to pay fees ranging from $50 to $500 if they sold gas-powered appliances.

That’s a significant rollback from the original proposal, which would have required residential buildings to meet zero-emissions standards beginning in 2029 when appliances need to be replaced. The agency amended the rules after strong opposition from Southern California Gas and other businesses.

The regulations would have impacted more than 10 million appliances in an estimated 5 million buildings, most of them residential.

Officials and supporters say the proposed rules would have reduced air pollution and substantially improved public health. But opponents — including property owners, industry professionals and natural gas companies — feared potentially higher costs for consumers and businesses, and a strained power grid with more electric appliances.

During a packed June 6 board meeting that ran for five hours, board chair Vanessa Delgado thanked the more than 200 people who signed up to speak about the proposed rules, which took more than two years to craft.

“I don’t believe that there’s necessarily a good or right answer about these rules,” she said. “I believe that it is very complicated, and I know that every single one of these board members are doing what is right to move forward air quality goals in our region.”

Lynwood City Councilmember Juan Muñoz-Guevara said the rules would be a long-overdue step toward environmental justice for communities like his.

“I’ve seen firsthand how families in my community are forced to live with the health consequences of dirty air,” he said. “Our children grow up with asthma, our elders struggle with respiratory illness, and too many lives are cut short. Gas appliances in our home are one of the largest sources of smog-forming pollution in the region. We cannot meet clean air goals without tackling this.”

Peggy Huang, a member of Yorba Linda’s City Council, urged the board to reject the proposed rules.

“As someone who’s been advocating for affordable housing, this will increase costs for us to meet those goals,” she said.

Chino’s mayor pro tem, Curtis Burton, echoed some of Huang’s concerns. He said the rules would “create an additional financial burden on residents and businesses.”

Air quality regulators say the rules would save consumers money by reducing energy bills.

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