Off the Menu: Clean energy bill impacts restaurants

As they rushed to wrap up their formal sessions last month, the Massachusetts legislature passed a new clean energy bill that contained multiple provisions designed to accelerate the state’s transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy. The Act Advancing Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, which Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law on Aug. 11, contains a number of controversial provisions, one of which prohibits new natural gas hookups in 10 Eastern Massachusetts communities.The gas hookup ban is of particular concern to the restaurant industry, since restaurateurs have long favored gas-fired cooking equipment. When queried on the subject, chefs typically cite advantages such greater control over temperature, faster cooking times, and the immediate, visual feedback a gas burner provides. Gas range equipment is always characterized as as more versatile than electric appliances…

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