There’s a discussion that gas stoves are causing too much air pollution indoors and that something needs to be done about it. But, of course, any time anything is mentioned about reducing our usage of gas (or oil), it leads to the industry itself, with the help of its stalwart Republicans, to question the reasoning behind it.
This all started with some comments from a commission from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Richard Trumka Jr., who was considering regulations based on evidence and research that gas stoves basically can be harmful to the environment and humans as well.
“A hazard is hiding behind somewhere. We’re looking at our options, and in the end, if these cannot be safe for people, they’ll be banned instead.” So said Mr. Trumka during an interview.
This commentary continued at a breakfast hosted by the American Petroleum Institute, which didn’t take too kindly to these words and what they would mean in the scope of the legislation.
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is a Republican from Washington, had this to say of the matter at that breakfast. “Nothing should be done about gas stoves until we understand the proposals and what is behind those proposals.”
Apparently, Mr. Trumka didn’t realize just what he had started and quickly went on to state via social media that ” We’re not banning anything yet; we’re not talking about taking away items.” He went on to mention this would most likely only affect new products down the line.
The commission itself had a meeting in October, though, where Mr. Trumka was already trying to get something written down of what the rules and regulations would look like when looking at gas stoves but had a hard time getting any additional support. So the commission decided to go a different route and wanted to hear from the general public.
The White House also responded, stating the administration isn’t looking to ban or restrict gas stoves in any way. A representative from the White House, Michael Kikukawa, said, “What the Commission is saying is independent than what the President wants, and currently the President is not looking at a ban on gas stoves.”
Regardless of everyone trying to quiet the already brewing political storm, Republicans continue to show their disapproval of the comments that came from the commission, and even having Ms. McMorris Rodgers go on to say that “We will do our own due diligence and provide more oversight on the Commission itself.” She and many others are already adding their doubts about the fresh research about gas stoves and the type of harm they are causing.
Democrats weren’t quiet either and actually agreed with what republicans had to say, as in the case of Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia. He went on to say via social media, “This type of federal intervention should never happen, and we, the government, shouldn’t say how we cook or what we use to cook. All this would do is build a recipe of chaos.”
The president of the Institute, Mike Sommers, also said that “there’s no way this will pass, especially with an item people love.” Over one-third of the US population use gas stoves already.
Despite this ongoing backlash, there is still research to look at that states how gas stoves are increasing pollutants and will cause harm to people’s health. The major study in question is the one where nearly 13% of those with childhood asthma can attribute that to gas stoves within the US. That’s because of what they produce, which is a mix of fine particles, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
In addition, other pollutants are produced that can lead to cancer, and even if the stove is turned off, it could still release these harmful chemicals.
It’s also affecting another polarizing topic, which is climate change. Combined with how it’s affecting one’s health, there’s already a ban on gas stoves in the city of Berkeley, and many more are following suit in California and the rest of the nation. It’s not limited to gas stoves and other gas-powered appliances.
Even recently, the current governor of New York wants to push away from heating that’s powered by fossil fuels. Governor Kathy Hochul is looking to enact this in current residential buildings starting as soon as 2030. New constructions for residents will need to be all-electric starting in 2025. New commercial buildings will also have that requirement by 2030.
This ban on gas is pushing Republicans to push fresh legislatures and laws that will actually prevent these bands from happening. Ironically those that are in Republican-controlled states use electric stoves. Those that are using gas-based stoves actually come from Democratic-controlled states, according to this analysis done in 2020.
The anger continues, with many Republicans stating their outrage for even the comments to be made by Mr. Trumka. This is also stepping over to the current Biden Administration, even though they agreed with the Republicans on this matter.
Regardless a Republican representative from Alabama, Gary Palmer, said, “To even speak about such action, through a bureaucratic Commission and not even as an elected official, is ridiculous. They should have no say or the power to ban anything, and this is directly related to the current administration, which allows such discussions, decisions and control to continue.”
Tucker Carlson, on his Fox News show, even brought it a restaurant owner, Stratis Morfogen, who stated that “This ban would destroy the restaurant industry as it squeezes margins even more with a replacement for electric stoves.”
Yet there are more benefits for going the electric route since Congress passed a law to help combat climate change that provided billions in funding to states to offer rebates for those that buy electric. This, of course, includes stoves.
The safety commission went on the defensive when the Chairman, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, stated, “We are not looking at any type of ban and have not initiated anything either related to or even considering a ban for gas stoves.”
However, they will continue to see what the public opinion on the matter is and look at other solutions to the problem. The Chairman still believes that “with our current research, gas stoves are still a potential health risk that we need to work on reducing somehow.”
