German lawmakers approve a contentious plan to replace fossil-fuel heating

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved contentious legislation for the replacement of fossil-fuel heating systems, passing a major climate policy plan that prompted lengthy infighting in the governing coalition and helped push down its poll ratings. Parliament’s lower house voted for the bill on Friday, months after an initial version of it was first approved by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet. An ensuing fight over its details in Scholz’s ideologically diverse three-party coalition fueled an impression of disarray from which the government is struggling to recover. The junior partners in the coalition argued publicly before sealing a compromise in mid-June on the plan to replace old fossil-fuel heating systems with alternatives such as heat pumps.