When residents of Berkeley, California, vote in next week’s presidential election, they’ll also get a say on a renewed attempt to clamp down on polluting fossil fuels.

On the ballot is “Measure GG,” an initiative that would require owners of commercial and multi-family buildings of more than 15,000 square feet to pay a fee to use natural gas.

The charge would be as much as twice the current average price, with revenues helping to fund clean-energy upgrades and electric appliances.

The city, occasionally described by its own denizens as the People’s Republic of Berkeley, has long been at the vanguard of progressive policies. And this isn’t the first time it has targeted gas — or buildings, which account for about a third of US greenhouse gas emissions.

Back in 2019, Berkeley became the first place in the country to ban gas hookups in new-builds. Dozens of cities, including Los Angeles and New York, subsequently approved similar measures.

The trend alarmed producers of the fuel and sparked a culture war over gas stoves. It also prompted more than 20 mostly conservative states to pass laws prohibiting local governments from introducing such restrictions.

Berkeley’s move was challenged by the California Restaurant Association, with support from the gas industry. A federal appeals court struck down the ban, and the city canceled the ordinance earlier this year.

Environmental activists and labor unions backing Measure GG insist urgency is needed to address climate change. They say the tax will incentivize changes to the largest buildings and local air quality would improve.

Small businesses — including restaurants — argue they’d struggle under the new levy, potentially forcing them to close or move away. Some nonprofits have added their weight to the opposition.

Will voters risk driving them out in an effort to stem emissions? And if they do, will other cities again follow suit? Just like five years ago, Berkeley’s anti-gas crusade is one to watch.

–Mark Chediak, Bloomberg News